Use of topical fluorides for caries prevention in primary teeth

Parach Sirivichayakul, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, presented the poster "Preventing Approximal Caries in Primary Teeth With Topical Fluorides" at the virtual 99th General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), held in conjunction with the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) and the 45th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research (CADR), on July 21-24, 2021.

There is limited evidence regarding the use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for caries prevention in primary teeth. This randomized clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of 38% SDF, 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish, and placebo control in preventing approximal caries in primary teeth.

Children aged 4-6 years who had at least one sound approximal surface at the distal surface of canines or the mesial or distal surface of the first and second molars assessed from bitewing radiographs were recruited. The participants were randomly allocated into three intervention groups as follows: Group 1 = control (water) , Group 2 = 5% NaF varnish (Duraphat) and Group 3 = 38% SDF (Topamine). All agents were applied semi-annually and the new caries development was assessed by the bitewing radiographic examinations at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-ups by two blind calibrated investigators.

The new approximal caries development rates of Group 1, 2, and 3 at the 18-month examination were 22.5%, 13.6%, and 24.3%, respectively (p<0.001). Based on these results, the semi-annual application of 5% NaF varnish is more effective than that of 38% SDF and the placebo control in preventing approximal caries in primary teeth.

View this poster presentation in the IADR General Session Virtual Experience Platform.