What do systematic reviews say?

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) plus fluoride varnish vs Sealants plus fluoride varnish (with or without restorations)

• Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Study period (24 months) · Children
  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

• Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  6 months
  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
  GRADE not reported

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Silver nitrate plus fluoride varnish

• Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  18 months · Children
  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 Fluoride varnish

• Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 hours to 30 months · Children
  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 Chlorhexidine varnish

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No studies reported data for this outcome in this comparison
  0 studies
  No studies found

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Other methods (pooled: ART/glass ionomer cement, nano-silver fluoride, sodium fluoride varnish, placebo)

SDF commonly causes black staining of arrested lesions; only mild, transient adverse events were reported, with no major adverse events (ungraded).

• The role of silver diamine fluoride as dental caries preventive and arresting agent: a systematic review and… 2024 All outcomes

  up to 30 months · Children/adults with dental caries; multiple countries; community/clinic care setting not clearly specified
  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…
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported