Clinical Trials of Silver Diamine Fluoride in Arresting Caries among Children: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
This review aims to investigate the clinical effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in arresting dental caries among children. A systematic search of publications was conducted with the key words "silver diamine fluoride," "silver diammine fluoride," "silver fluoride," "diamine silver fluoride," or "diammine silver fluoride" as well as their translation in Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish in 7 databases: PubMed (English), Embase (English), Scopus (English), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (Chinese), Ichushi-web (Japanese), Biblioteca Virtual em Saude (Portuguese), and Biblioteca Virtual en Salud Espana (Spanish). Duplicated publications were deleted. The title and abstract were screened and irrelevant publications were excluded. The full text of the remaining publications was retrieved. Prospective clinical studies of SDF that reported a caries-arresting effect among children were included. Meta-analysis was performed for quantitative analysis. A total of 1,123 publications were found, including 19 publications of clinical trials. Sixteen clinical trials studied the caries-arresting effect on primary teeth, and 3 clinical trials were on permanent teeth. Fourteen studies used 38% SDF, 3 used 30% SDF, and 2 used 10% SDF. Meta-analysis was performed on extracted data from 8 studies using 38% SDF to arrest caries in primary teeth. The overall percentage of active caries that became arrested was 81% (95% confidence interval, 68% to 89%; P < 0.001). Apart from staining the arrested lesion black, no significant complication of SDF use among children was reported. SDF was commonly used at 38%. It was effective in arresting dentine caries in primary teeth among children. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This systematic review found that 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) can effectively arrest caries among children. SDF treatment is noninvasive and easily operated. It can be a promising strategy to manage dental caries in young children or those who have special needs.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Silver diamine fluoride effectively arrests the progression of caries in 80-90% of treated lesions.
“Results indicate that MID techniques such as SDF can arrest caries in 80-90% of cases”
From Minimally Invasive Techniques for Managing Dental Caries in Children: Efficacy, Applications, and Future Directions (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
Silver diamine fluoride application is uncomplicated, induces minimal discomfort, and requires only a short duration in the chair, making it advantageous for pediatric patients who may exhibit less cooperation.
“The application process is uncomplicated, induces minimal discomfort, and requires only a short duration in the chair, rendering it particularly advantageous for pediatric patients who may exhibit less cooperation [34].”
From Minimally Invasive Techniques for Managing Dental Caries in Children: Efficacy, Applications, and Future Directions (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
Silver diamine fluoride provides substantial advantages for young children and individuals who struggle with conventional restorative therapies, especially those with behavioral or cognitive difficulties.
“SDF provides substantial advantages for young children and individuals who struggle with conventional restorative therapies, especially those with behavioral or cognitive difficulties [34].”
From Minimally Invasive Techniques for Managing Dental Caries in Children: Efficacy, Applications, and Future Directions (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
A study in India indicated that implementing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could prevent millions of cases of obesity and type 2 diabetes and reduce the prevalence of sugar-related oral diseases.
“A study investigating the convergence of economics and epidemiology in India indicated that implementing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could prevent millions of cases of obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as reduce the prevalence of sugar-related oral diseases [34].”
From Minimally Invasive Techniques for Managing Dental Caries in Children: Efficacy, Applications, and Future Directions (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
Cites
CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials
the CONSORT Group, Schulz, K. F., Altman, D. G., & Moher, D. (2010) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/1741-7015-8-18 · Cited by 13,371 · see citing works
Metaprop: a Stata command to perform meta-analysis of binomial data
Nyaga, V. N., Arbyn, M., & Aerts, M. (2014) · Archives of Public Health · doi:10.1186/2049-3258-72-39 · Cited by 2,139 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Evidence-based clinical practice guideline on nonrestorative treatments for carious lesions
Slayton, R. L., Urquhart, O., Araujo, M. W. B., Fontana, M., Guzmán-Armstrong, S., Nascimento, M. M., Nový, B. B., Tinanoff, N., Weyant, R. J., Wolff, M. S., et al. (2018) · The Journal of the American Dental Association · doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2018.07.002 · Cited by 317 · see citing works
Evidence-based dentistry update on silver diamine fluoride
Crystal, Y. O., & Niederman, R. (2019) · Dental Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.cden.2018.08.011 · Cited by 253 · see citing works
Parental perceptions and acceptance of silver diamine fluoride staining
Crystal, Y. O., Janal, M. N., Hamilton, D. S., & Niederman, R. (2017) · The Journal of the American Dental Association · doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2017.03.013 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Randomized Clinical Trial of 12% and 38% Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatment
Fung, M. H. T., Duangthip, D., Wong, M. C. M., Lo, E. C. M., & Chu, C. H. (2018) · Journal of Dental Research · doi:10.1177/0022034517728496 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Self-citationSilver diamine fluoride for managing carious lesions: an umbrella review
Seifo, N., Cassie, H., Radford, J. R., & Innes, N. P. T. (2019) · BMC Oral Health · doi:10.1186/s12903-019-0830-5 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Seow, W. K. (2018) · Pediatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2018.05.004 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Silver diamine fluoride therapy for dental care
Zheng, F. M., Yan, I. G., Duangthip, D., Gao, S. S., Lo, E. C. M., & Chu, C. H. (2022) · Japanese Dental Science Review · doi:10.1016/j.jdsr.2022.08.001 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Self-citationGlobal Oral Health Policies and Guidelines: Using Silver Diamine Fluoride for Caries Control
Gao, S. S., Amarquaye, G., Arrow, P., Bansal, K., Bedi, R., Campus, G., Chen, K. J., Chibinski, A. C. R., Chinzorig, T., Crystal, Y. O., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Oral Health · doi:10.3389/froh.2021.685557 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Self-citationHall Technique for Carious Primary Molars: A Review of the Literature
Altoukhi, D. H., & El-Housseiny, A. A. (2020) · Dentistry Journal · doi:10.3390/dj8010011 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Bioactive materials for caries management: a literature review
Zhang, O. L., Niu, J. Y., Yin, I. X., Yu, O. Y., Mei, M. L., & Chu, C. H. (2023) · Dentistry Journal · doi:10.3390/dj11030059 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Self-citationParental Expressed Concerns about Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Treatment
Crystal, Y., Kreider, B., & Raveis, V. (2019) · Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry · doi:10.17796/1053-4625-43.3.2 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Yawary, R., & Hegde, S. (2022) · International Dental Journal · doi:10.1016/j.identj.2021.05.009 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Worthington, H. V., Lewis, S. R., Glenny, A.-M., Huang, S. S., Innes, N. P., O'Malley, L., Riley, P., Walsh, T., Wong, M. C. M., Clarkson, J. E., et al. (2024) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012718.pub2 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Schroth, R. J., Bajwa, S., Lee, V. H. K., Mittermuller, B.-A., Singh, S., Cruz de Jesus, V., Bertone, M., & Chelikani, P. (2024) · BMC Oral Health · doi:10.1186/s12903-024-04791-9 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Rodrigues, G. F., Vollú, A. L., Vargas, T. R., Kamp, L. M. K., da Cunha Costa, T., Cruz, L. R., Luiz, R. R., Barja-Fidalgo, F., & Fonseca-Gonçalves, A. (2024) · Clinical Oral Investigations · doi:10.1007/s00784-024-06081-8 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Cost-Effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride Depends on Caries Activity: A Decision Analytic Model
Tan, S. H. X., Wang, Y., Lai, C. W. M., Gao, X., Wee, H.-L., Lai, B. W. P., Hong, C. H. L., & Hu, S. (2025) · Caries Research · doi:10.1159/000544001 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
AL-Kaff, A. A., Alshehri, A. Z., Alasmari, R. A., Alsubaie, N., Aldaws, A., Althaqeel, A., Alshehri, R. S., & Alawaji, Y. M. (2025) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.87450 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“SDF provides substantial advantages for young children and individuals who struggle with conventional restorative therapies, especially those with behavioral or cognitive difficulties [34].”
InfluentialYörel, V. İ. (2025) · Cumhuriyet Dental Journal · doi:10.7126/cumudj.1626945 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Arrow, P., Piggott, S., Anderson, L., Bessarab, D., Jamieson, L., Atkinson, D., Ngo, H., Kularatna, S., Tonmukayakul, U., Nanda, S., et al. (2025) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/72227 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gao, S. S., Zhao, I. S., Hiraishi, N., Duangthip, D., Mei, M. L., Lo, E. C. M., & Chu, C. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Chu, C.H.
- Venue
- JDR Clinical & Translational Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-08-20
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 201-210
- ISSN
- 2380-0844 (ISSN-L)
- 2380-0852
- OpenAlex
- W2509087415
- Cited by
- 245
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 26.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- JDR Clinical & Translational Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Oral Surgery › Endodontics and Root Canal Treatments
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Orthodontics › Dental materials and restorations
- Keywords
- silver diamine fluoride, caries arrest, dental caries, primary teeth, children, dentin caries, children with special needs
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
