Clinical effectiveness of SDF compared to restorative approach for the treatment of early childhood caries: a randomized clinical trial

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Postgraduate Student, Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Cairo – Egypt

2 Professor, Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Cairo – Egypt

3 Associate Professor, Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University Cairo – Egypt

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of the caries arrest technique using silver diamine fluoride or the conventional drill and fill technique with composite filling in children suffering from early childhood caries on clinical failure rates, postoperative pain, and duration of treatment. Methods: The study included 40 children aged three to six with early childhood caries. They were divided randomly into two groups: one receiving treatment using the silver diamine fluoride caries arrest technique and the other receiving conventional drill and fill treatment. Clinical failure was categorized as no, minor, or major failure at three and six months. The Wong-Baker Faces rating scale was utilized to assess postoperative pain at three and six months, and a stopwatch was employed to measure the duration of the treatment. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test for categorical data and the independent t-test for continuous data. Results: In both groups, all participants reported no failure three and six months after treatment. All the participants reported no pain at three and six months. The mean and standard deviation for the procedure duration in minutes were 4.66 (0.84) for the silver diamine fluoride group and 12.7 (0.11) for the composite group. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups, with a p-value of 0.0001. Conclusion: Both the treatment modalities showed similar clinical effectiveness with no failures or pain reported, while the silver diamine fluoride application was faster.

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Egyptian Dental Journal
Volume 71, Issue 3 - Serial Number 1
July (Orthodontics, Pediatric & Preventive Dentistry)
July 2025
Pages 1935-1941

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