Silver Diamine Fluoride: Clinical Tips

Abstract

Caries continues to be a public health problem worldwide, and the prevention and conventional treatment of carious lesions may present challenges. Caries into dentine in primary teeth is common, with 30% of five-year-olds having dental caries in Ireland.1 In young children, there can be barriers to using some of the evidence-based recommended techniques to restore carious teeth. Reasons for this include access, co-operation and age. Similarly, root caries, commonly found in older adults, can be challenging to manage conventionally, particularly where the caries rate is high and there are access barriers or medical comorbidities. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an alternative option to treat such cases where conventional methods are not appropriate or achievable for the patient.