Low Cost Tooth Decay Sealant: Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF)
Cutting The Cost Of Tooth Decay, But Not Quite A Silver Bullet
The heading Low Cost Liquid Tames Tooth Decay could refer to a new cheap rotgut doing the rounds of the ghetto. Luckily for the poor, it doesn’t. Rather, it presages an inexpensive, cavity arresting liquid substance called Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF). Yes, Robert F Kennedy Jr may remove fluoride from the tap water of America but dentists have always been big on the stuff. SDF as dental sealant can put the brakes on tooth decay for less. The results have been published in a recent study.
“The study, which followed more than 4,000 elementary school students for four years and is published in JAMA Pediatrics, shows that SDF is an effective alternative to sealants, and can increase access to dental care while reducing costs.”
– Science Daily
SDF Can Arrest Tooth Decay & Seal It More Cheaply
America is not the land of the free, especially if you are born of the wrong colour and are growing up on the wrong side of town. However, SDF as sealant can be spayed onto the decaying teeth of kids who aren’t likely to see a dentist due to poverty and it will buy them some time – like around 4 years. The treatment solution is brushed onto teeth and kills the decay-causing bacteria and remineralises teeth. These things prevent further decay.
“Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry led CariedAway, the nation’s largest school-based cavity prevention study, to compare the use of SDF and traditional sealants. The study included approximately 4,100 children in New York City elementary schools; more than a quarter of kids had untreated cavities at the start of the study. At each school visit, a team of health professionals examined children’s teeth and applied either sealants or SDF followed by fluoride varnish, depending on which treatment the school was randomly assigned to receive.”
– New York University. “Low-cost liquid tames tooth decay.”
Paint It Silver The New Song In Town
The Rolling Stones are getting a little too long in the tooth. Paint it silver with SDF is the new tune in town, at least in the dental realm. Really though, this silver sealant could be the biggest thing to hit the dental world for decades. Imagine a decay stopping, remineralising substance that you can paint on teeth for both prevention and temporary hiatus of further damage. WHO would have to be looking at this on a large scale to do remedial oral health work in volume. This could be Nobel Prize winning sort of stuff in the developing world and places everywhere debilitated by poverty. Not being able to access dental care and/or an inability to afford it could be temporarily assuaged for a number of years with the oral health problems not getting worse. The potential of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) as a low cost tooth decay sealant s a cause for optimism.
“Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) was developed in Japan in the 1960s. It is a clear solution containing silver and fluoride ions. Because of its anti-bacterial and remineralising effect, silver diamine fluoride has been used in managing dental caries for decades worldwide. This paper aims to summarize and discuss the global policies, guidelines, and relevant information on utilizing SDF for caries management. SDF can be used for treating dental caries in most countries. However, it is not permitted to be used in mainland China. Several manufacturers, mainly in Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, and the United States, produce SDF at different concentrations that are commercially available around the world. “
– NCBI.gov
How might this low cost tooth decay sealant impact Australian dental patients and their dentists? I suppose you have to think more in terms like an auto mechanic using a sealant to reduce the damage and wear and tear upon a car’s engine. It is not a silver bullet but depending upon the circumstance can buy some valuable time. If Australian dental patients start asking about this treatment, demand will most certainly improve supply. Start with your local north-west Melbourne dentist and let’s see how this rolls …
SDF Study & Indigenous Kids In Australia
“Indigenous Australian children and adolescents experience profound levels of preventable dental disease. The application of silver fluoride (AgF) to active dental caries is a noninvasive alternative to traditional dental treatment approaches. There is particular utility among Indigenous children and young people with dental fear, who may not have access to timely or culturally safe dental service provisions.
The aims of this study are to: (1) assess levels of active dental caries among Indigenous children and young people in 6 Australian states and territories; (2) determine if an AgF intervention reduces levels of active disease over 12-24 months; (3) measure the impact of improved oral health on social and emotional well-being (SEWB) and oral health-related quality of life; and (4) calculate the cost-effectiveness of implementing such an initiative.
Participant recruitment for this study commenced in May 2023, and up until September 2023, around 540 children and young adults have been recruited. We anticipate the first results to be submitted for publication 2 years following initial recruitment.”
– PMC.NCBI.gov
Children are the main focus of fissure sealant treatments and SDF sealant campaigns for those suffering from poor oral health in particular. SDF may well buy these oft neglected sections of our communities some time in terms of their health and wellbeing. It will be interesting to see the results from the above study involving SDF and where this may lead in relation to improving the oral health of young Indigenous Australians.
Fissure Sealants & The Future
Currently, fissure sealants are available from most dental clinics in Australia.
“Fissure sealants are made of tooth filling material that sometimes contains fluoride. They can look white or clear.
Applying a fissure sealant is quick and painless. The procedure can be done by a dentist, a dental hygienist or an oral health therapist.
Glass-ionomer cement is also white or tooth coloured. It is not as strong as composite resin. Glass-ionomer cement might be used if you need a temporary filling. It has many other uses too such as fissure sealing.”
– Healthdirect.gov.au
SDF could be a ray of practical hope for all those struggling to afford to go to the dentist. May the dark clouds of inequality lift over struggle street via this product and treatment. Perhaps, the federal government could step in and make SDF cheaper for dental clinics to offer desperate patients who cannot afford to pay for fillings? Maybe this will buy our collective oral health some time?
Disclaimer: The material posted is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Results vary with each patient. Any dental procedure carries risks and benefits. If you have any specific questions about any dental and/or medical matter, you should consult your dentist, physician or other professional healthcare providers.
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