Clinical evaluation of silver diamine fluoride for the prevention of dental caries in children

Dental caries remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide and continues to pose a significant clinical and public health burden, particularly in regions where preventive strategies are inadequately implemented. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has emerged as a pharmacologically active topical agent with proven antimicrobial and demineralizing properties. A prospective clinical evaluation was conducted on 110 patients recruited from private dental clinics in Surman and Sabratha. Eligible participants presented with sound teeth or early non-cavitated carious lesions at baseline. A 38.0% silver diamine fluoride solution was applied to selected teeth following a standardized clinical protocol. Clinical assessments were performed at baseline and during follow-up visits to record the incidence of new carious lesions and the arrest of existing lesions. A statistical analysis was used to summarize the data, and Chi-square and paired comparison tests were applied to assess differences in caries incidence before and after SDF application. Among the 110 evaluated cases, a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of new dental caries was observed in the Libyan patients following SDF application. The proportion of teeth remaining caries-free increased from 62.7% at baseline to 85.4% at follow-up (p