Role of silver diamine fluoride in caries prevention: A narrative review

Abstract

Dental caries is one of the most common diseases affecting people across the globe. Unlike other infectious diseases, dental caries is not a self-limiting disorder. Preventive outlook to avoid tooth decay is hence very essential. Fortunately, there has been a rapid shift from surgical model, which emphasizes on the restorative aspect to the medical model that majorly focuses on disease prevention. The use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has recently been in limelight due to its ability to prevent as well as arrest dental caries. The purpose of this review is to compile and procure all related data regarding SDF, along with the inclusion of its various recent advancements and its efficiency in the current pandemic situation. The article further includes reviews from various clinical trials performed in the past as well as in recent times, regarding the efficacy of SDF when compared to other caries preventive agents.

Keywords

• caries inhibition
• caries prevention
• dental caries
• silver diamine fluoride