Children cavity
Going to the dentist might be intimidating for a lot of kids particularly when cavities require drilling, injection or even surgery under general anaesthetic. But what if the solution to preventing tooth decay was as easy as painting a liquid onto the decayed tooth?
According to a new study led by the University of Michigan, a simple liquid called silver diamine fluoride (SDF) which takes only a few seconds to apply can soak into cavities preventing tooth decay in a large number of young children without a drill or sedation. The findings published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)Pediatrics may change the way cavities are treated especially in children who are too young or too afraid to receive traditional dental care methods.
The Phase III clinical trial sample consisted of 830 children younger than six years of age at dental clinics, paediatric practices and Head Start programmes in Michigan, New York and Iowa. A team of scientists discovered that 38 per cent of baby teeth treated with SDF that developed cavities stopped tooth decay after applying the fluoride solution once every six months.
Researchers worked by arresting the decay instead of removing the decayed section of a tooth making it a rapid and painless way to treat the cavities rather than getting a filling. Lead author of the study and Professor at University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Margherita Fontana, said, "This is a very effective and safe treatment even in children as young as 1."
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children affecting more than 40 per cent of children in the United States. According to oral healthcare providers if cavities are left untreated they may cause extreme pain and infection leading to difficulty in eating or sleeping, school absences and frequent hospital visits.
Thousands of children end up going to the emergency department each year due to untreated dental disease. But emergency doctors are rarely able to repair the cavity leaving many children to suffer until they can get to the dentist or go to surgery. In this respect researchers believe that SDF may offer a way to alter that by enabling cavities to be treated early before they cause pain or become infected.
Despite its benefits, SDF treatment does have one drawback which every parent should know. The lead author of the study highlights that while the benefits of this new treatment do not change, silver diamine fluoride can permanently turn the decayed part of the tooth black. Researchers say that many parents still choose the treatment because preventing pain and infection is often more important than cosmetics particularly when it comes to baby teeth.
Fontana stated the study gives the "high-quality evidence" necessary for the treatment to be accepted more widely in the United States. She explained that many kids often visit a paediatrician years before they go to a dentist. Once SDF is more widely available it may be possible for oral health care workers to prevent cavities before they even start to form so patients may not have to endure the pain, risk of infection and unnecessary surgery under general anaesthetic. The researchers believes that their findings could support the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for silver diamine fluoride as a standalone product to treat tooth decay expanding insurance coverage while making this easy treatment more readily available for children and families.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not medical advice. Always consult a qualified dentist to determine whether silver diamine fluoride is appropriate for your child.
