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Each row is one question a systematic review asked: who, what, compared with what, and which outcome, with the effect it found and how certain that is. Words match anywhere in the field.
13 questions in 3 reviews · intervention: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) · outcome domain: Adverse effects/fluorosis
current versionsNo studies 1 · 7.7%Ungraded 3 · 23.1%Very low 9 · 69.2%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
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| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Restoration (restorative treatment) Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 12 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | Cleary 2022 reported that there were no unanticipated adverse events; adverse events were not defined. | 1 study | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Sealants or resin infiltration Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 24 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | In 1 study, people complained about a transient bitter taste associated with SDF (with no associated data), with no other adverse effects. In another study, there were no adverse effects. No studies reported this… | 2 studies · 336 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) with glass ionomer cement (GIC) or glass ionomer material Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 48 hours to 24 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | In 1 study, 115 of 118 children had black stains on teeth treated with SDF; there were no other adverse effects or allergic reactions. In 1 study, the rate of adverse effects reported by caregiver and person who… | 3 studies · 482 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) plus fluoride varnish vs Sealants plus fluoride varnish (with or without restorations) Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · Study period (24 months), Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | Ruff 2022 reported that there were no adverse events during the study period; adverse events were not defined by the study authors. Assumed data available for 1398 participants. | 1 study · 1398 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Glass ionomer cement (GIC) plus fluoride varnish Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 6 months Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | Parents were asked if any harm was noticed due to the use of SDF, but the results were not reported in the study report; we could not determine whether there were any associated harms with either treatment (Mendiratta… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Silver nitrate plus fluoride varnish Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 18 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | Gao 2019 noted that "arrested lesions were stained black" (reported with no associated data). No other adverse effects observed, and no reports from parents of systemic disease. | 1 study · 1070 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Placebo or no treatment Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 12 to 30 months, Adults Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | 1 study reported no adverse effects. 1 study reported a white discolouration of the gingiva adjacent to surfaces treated with SDF (116 surfaces) as well as redness (4 surfaces), and mild ulceration (2 surfaces). In… | 2 studies · 316 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF; 38% in most trials, 30% in three) vs Other methods (pooled: ART/glass ionomer cement, nano-silver fluoride, sodium fluoride varnish, placebo) Adverse effects (tooth staining; soft-tissue and systemic events) · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition) · up to 30 months The role of silver diamine fluoride as dental caries preventive and arresting agent: a systematic review and… (2024) | Black staining of arrested lesions reported in most studies; 4 studies reported mild transient events (gingival blenching/pain; diarrhea/stomachache; burning, bad taste, pain, mouth injury, dissatisfaction with… | NR | Ungraded |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Fluoride varnish Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 24 hours to 30 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | In 1 study, black or brown staining on treated lesions was more common after SDF (OR 3.19, 95% CI 1.95 to 5.23), with no other adverse effects. 1 study reported complaints of a transient bitter taste with SDF use (with… | 3 studies · 980 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Placebo or no treatment Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 48 hours to 30 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | 1 study reported 3 adverse effects in the first 48 hours. Of these, 1 effect in SDF group was possibly related to treatment (spot on corner of lip that looked like a burn), and 2 effects in placebo group were possibly… | 3 studies · 983 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Chlorhexidine varnish Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | No studies reported data for this outcome in this comparison | 0 studies | No studies |
SDF (given at a particular frequency, concentration, or duration) vs SDF (given at a different frequency, concentration, or duration) Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions) · 24 to 30 months, Children Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults (2024) · Cochrane | 1 study (203 children) reported that black or brown staining on treated lesions was commonly found in both groups, with little or no difference according to whether SDF treatment was given in 3 applications at… | 3 studies · 1121 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride vs Not applicable (single-arm safety outcome) Serious adverse events · Children and older adults treated with SDF for carious lesions Silver diamine fluoride for managing carious lesions: an umbrella review. (2019) | No serious adverse events, such as allergic reactions or toxicity, were reported. A metallic taste or burning sensation was not reported in any of the studies. | NR | Ungraded |