Aesthetics · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
1 finding from 1 review
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
Dental pain or sensitivity · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Secondary prevention of caries · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Primary caries prevention · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries
SDF plus fluoride varnish did not significantly differ from ART plus fluoride varnish for oral health-related quality of life (MD 0.16, 95% CI -0.1 to 0.42; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Secondary caries prevention in young permanent first molars · Children with deep occlusal caries in young permanent first molars (indirect pulp capping)
SDF and RMGIC did not differ significantly for secondary caries prevention in young permanent molars (no events; p>0.05; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Baraka et al. (2022): no significant difference in secondary caries prevention between 38% SDF and RMGIC (no secondary caries in either group through 12 months; p=0.63 at 12 months; overall p=0.26).
1 study · 49 participants
GRADE not reported
Arrest or reversal of noncavitated and cavitated root carious lesions · Adults (including institutionalized/older adults) with noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions on root surfaces (permanent teeth)
38% SDF + potassium iodide solution (applied annually) may not differ from no treatment for arrest or reversal of root carious lesions (RR 2.36, 95% CI 0.66 to 8.42; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Arrest or reversal of noncavitated and cavitated root carious lesions · Adults (including institutionalized/older adults) with noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions on root surfaces (permanent teeth)
38% SDF + potassium iodide solution (applied annually) may not differ from 5,000-ppm F (1.1% NaF) toothpaste or gel for arrest or reversal of root carious lesions (RR 0.9, 95% CI 0.22 to 3.62; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Arrest or reversal of noncavitated and cavitated root carious lesions · Adults (including institutionalized/older adults) with noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions on root surfaces (permanent teeth)
38% SDF + potassium iodide solution (applied annually) may not differ from 5% NaF varnish for arrest or reversal of root carious lesions (RR 0.8, 95% CI 0.05 to 11.95; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
new carious lesions or fillings · Children with dental caries in permanent (first) molars
The review reported no significant result for SDF; no effect estimate or GRADE rating was reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrest · Children (age 1-10 years) with active cavitated dentin caries lesions in primary molars
A single (one-time) SDF application did not significantly arrest caries (pooled ES -0.09, 95% CI -0.48 to 0.29; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Arrest of dentine caries · Children with dentine caries in primary and permanent teeth
Professionally applied 38% silver diamine fluoride arrested about two-thirds of active dentine caries surfaces in children (pooled proportion 65.9%, 95% CI 41.2% to 90.7%; 5 studies); certainty was not GRADE-rated and heterogeneity was very high (I2=96%).
1 finding from 1 review
new root-surface carious lesions or restorations · community-dwelling older adults with root caries
SDF plus potassium iodide had a 52% preventative fraction; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating was reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Secondary caries prevention in young permanent first molars · Children with deep occlusal caries in young permanent first molars (indirect pulp capping)
SDF+KI and RMGIC did not differ significantly for secondary caries prevention (p>0.05; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrestment at the individual (patient) level · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition)
Compared with other caries-management methods, SDF may increase caries arrestment at the individual level, but the pooled estimate is very imprecise (low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrestment at the individual (patient) level · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition)
In one trial, SDF greatly increased individual-level caries arrestment versus ART/glass ionomer cement (OR 18.03); this subgroup was not separately GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrestment at the tooth level · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition)
In one trial, SDF increased tooth-level caries arrestment versus 5% sodium fluoride varnish (OR 4.75; ungraded subgroup).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrestment at the surface level · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition)
Pooling two highly heterogeneous trials, SDF showed no significant difference versus 5% sodium fluoride varnish in surface-level caries arrestment (OR 1.46; ungraded subgroup).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrestment at the surface level · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition)
In one trial, nano-silver fluoride arrested more surfaces than SDF (OR 0.52 favoring the comparator; ungraded subgroup).
1 finding from 1 review