The Anticariogenic Effect of Silver Diamine Fluoride and Sodium Fluoride Varnish
Status:
COMPLETED
Trial end date:
2024-01-26
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Sodium Fluoride (NAF) varnish was considered as the treatment of Early Childhood Caries (ECC). However, the emergence of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) has become more popular to tackle dental caries among children. SDF has silver ions that harbor antibacterial properties that play a crucial role in arresting active, cavitated carious lesions and has fluoride ions that are important in remineralizing enamel and dentin. This randomized control trial aims to compare the effect of SDF and NaF varnish on the salivary pH and density of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus. 49 subjects below 6 years old, attending dental treatment at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) were recruited and were divided into two groups of treatment: 38% SDF or 5% SDF. Saliva samples of each subject were collected to test for salivary pH and density of S. mutans and Lactobacillus before the treatment and after 3 months of treatment. The salivary pH were tested using a calibrated pH meter. Saliva samples were subjected to microbiological analysis using Colony Forming Unit (CFU) and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) technique. The findings of this study will be used to support the use of SDF as an alternative to NaF varnish and to develop a recommendation guideline on the clinical use of SDF in ECC management.