Clinical and primary evidence of silver diamine fluoride on root caries management

Abstract

Root caries is a growing problem for the worldwide aging population. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) contains high concentrations of silver and fluoride ions, which prevents and arrests root caries, as well as dentin caries in the primary teeth of young children. Unlike other fluoride products that mainly reduce the formation of new carious lesions, 38% SDF is an effective agent that can efficiently arrest the carious process, remineralize the decayed dental tissues, and protect the tooth structure against the formation of new caries lesions. The use of SDF can result in more caries-resistant tooth structures. Despite these merits, its clinical disadvantages are the deep penetration of silver ions and sequential formation of silver compounds, which cause esthetic concern due to the discoloration and impaired efficacy of dentin bonding after using SDF. Thus, this narrative review, by addressing the primary experimental results and clinical applications of SDF on root caries, proposes management methods for root caries in conjunction with the application of SDF. We propose a two-visit treatment protocol to take advantage of the SDF application for root surface caries and utilize the discoloration caused by SDF.