Recently, there has been interest in biological approaches for caries management, with techniques such as interim therapeutic restorations and Hall technique crowns showing comparative effectiveness against conventional restorative methods. One of these approaches is the use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) as a restorative option. SDF is a safe and viable treatment modality for dental caries in the pediatric population. It is an important addition to the arsenal of biological approaches which include topical fluoride application, atraumatic restorative technique, interim therapeutic restorations and Hall technique preformed metal crowns. In a time when advanced behavior management techniques such as dental treatment under general anesthesia analgesia may have accessibility issues or have questionable long-term outcomes in very young children, the benefits of SDF seem to outweigh the risks. Moreover, given that there is an ongoing worldwide current debate on cost-effective and biological management of caries, and avoidance of general analgesia wherever possible, SDF should form an important addition to every dentist’s armamentarium.
Speaker: Dr Anas Al Salami, Lecturer – Pediatric Dentistry
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