Cheen Loo

Silver diamine fluoride: What is its place in oral healthcare? | Silver diamine fluoride: What is its place in oral healthcare?

Professor, chair and postdoctoral program director in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry in Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, located in Boston, MA
She received her BDS and PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia
She completed her MPH and certificate in Pediatric Dentistry at Boston University and her DMD at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM)
She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
Member of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD), American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Dental Education Association
Subcommittee member of the ABPD Examination Committee

Nationality: USA

Scientific areas: Pediatric dentistry

9 of november, from 14h30 until 19h00

Auditório C

Conference summary

Silver compounds have been used for their medical properties for centuries and in dentistry for more than a century. In recent years, the use of a topical fluoride solution, namely silver diamine fluoride (SDF), in dental treatment has been drawing increasing attention.

SDF is a solution containing ionic silver, fluoride, and ammonia that arrests the progress of carious lesions and prevents the development of future caries. The fluoride component of SDF contributes to remineralization and fluorapatite formation while the silver provides the antimicrobial activity for the material and inhibits biofilm formation.

SDF has been used in some countries, including Japan and China, as a caries-arresting and anti-hypersensitivity agent. In 2014, SDF was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for dentinal sensitivity. Promising results of laboratory studies and clinical trials have suggested that SDF is more effective than other fluoride agents to halt the caries process. This seminar provides an overview of the clinical use of SDF in dental treatment.

Bioactive materials in dentistry

The concept of a bioactive material was first recognized in 1969. Since then, the area of bioactive materials has expanded enormously in both medicine and dentistry. For years, bioactivity in dentistry has only been associated with fluoride release and the conversion of hydroxyapatite to its stronger form, fluorapatite. In the past two decades, dentistry has seen a significant increase in the interest and development of bioactive materials, as new products appear to offer significant benefits for both clinicians and patients.

The applications of bioactive materials in dentistry include remineralization of dentin, maintenance of long-term bonded restorations and endodontic treatment. Bioactive materials are available in clinical usage as restoratives (Activa BioACTIVE-Restorative), liners for pulp therapy (TheraCal), and related to periodontal disease (Bioactive glass). Formulations such as tricalcium silicate cements (Biodentine) and calcium aluminate/glass-ionomer (Ceramir C&B) have expanded utilization of bioactive materials to include liner/base, temporary restorative, and permanent cementation-luting agent.

Calcium silicate-based root canal sealers (EndoSequence® BC Sealer, BioRoot RCS) are more recently-developed bioactive materials used for endodontic treatment. As mechanical and physical properties improve in these various modalities and their chemistries evolve, their range of use and clinical indications will continue to expand. Recent developments in this evolving area of dentistry will be reviewed and the remarkable potential that bioactive materials hold for clinicians will be highlighted.

Scientific sponsor
COLGATE