Caries arrestment at the tooth level · Children and adults without systemic diseases affecting dental health
SDF showed a higher caries-free proportion at the tooth level, but the reported difference was not statistically significant.
1 finding from 1 review
Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
2 findings from 1 review
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
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
Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
1 finding from 1 review
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
Aesthetics · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
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
Caries arrest · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
2 findings from 1 review
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
Aesthetics · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
1 finding from 1 review
1 study reported that "only 19 (7%) [older adult participants] raised a complaint about the interventions at the 30-mo [month] examination, and half of them complained of black stain on the treated root surfaces." No…
1 study · 43 participants
Very low
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
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
Adverse effects · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Aesthetics · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
1 finding from 1 review
1 study reported that 45% of parents were satisfied with appearance of their child's teeth; data not reported by study group. 1 study reported that 1 of 34 caregivers in SDF group were "annoyed with teeth appearance",…
2 studies · 248 participants
Very low
Not applicable (no eligible studies) · Adults with coronal (crown) dental caries in permanent teeth
No eligible studies assessed SDF for coronal caries in adults; this is an evidence gap identified by the review.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries
SDF did not significantly differ from placebo for oral health-related quality of life in children (MD 0.03, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.22; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries
SDF did not significantly differ from atraumatic restorative treatment for oral health-related quality of life (MD 0.02, 95% CI -0.32 to 0.36; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Patient discomfort during treatment (anxiety scale) · Children (age 1-10 years) with active cavitated dentin caries lesions in primary molars
One study found no significant difference in patient discomfort between SDF and ART (p = 0.15; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrest · Children (age 1-10 years) with active cavitated dentin caries lesions in primary molars
SDF was not significantly better than ART at arresting caries (pooled ES 0.05, 95% CI -0.42 to 0.51; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Arrest of dentine caries · Preschool children with active dentine caries in primary teeth (mean age 3.4-4.0 years)
Silver diamine fluoride was about 2.5 times more likely than sodium fluoride to arrest dentine caries surfaces at 18 months (pooled OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.25 to 5.10; 2 RCTs), although between-study heterogeneity was high (I2=90.3%); certainty of evidence was not formally graded.
2 findings from 1 review
Prevention of new caries (caries development/increment) · Preschool children (primary dentition) at risk of new caries
Limited evidence from two trials suggests SDF may help prevent new caries, but preventive efficacy was not meta-analyzed and remains uncertain (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries arrest · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) plus fluoride varnish showed no clear difference in caries arrest compared with sealants plus fluoride varnish (with or without restorations) (low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review