PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS SILVER DIAMINE FLUORIDE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT APPROACH FOR CARIOUS LESIONS IN KING SAUD UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Brief Background: Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as a topical alternative method has been used for treating carious lesions without the use of more invasive delivery treatment options, potentially, delaying or avoiding the use of oral conscious sedation or general anesthesia, and has been favored as a dental treatment for uncooperative children. When SDF is applied to caries for 1-3 minutes, carious lesion(s) are arrested and a protective barrier is created to prevent additional decay. Despite the potential benefits of using SDF, the literature presents concerns about the resulting esthetics associated with this treatment. SDF permanently stains carious lesion black or brown. Objectives: 1. To describe the outcomes from the parent responses of the “Parents Perceptions Towards Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as an Alternative Treatment Approach Carious Lesions in Children” survey. 2. To determine if there is an association between parental acceptance of SDF treatment and parental judgement of esthetic side effects from SDF treatment, parents’ perceptions of their child’s behaviors while receiving dental treatment and parents’ preference for their child to be sedated, either oral or general, when receiving treatment for dental caries. Methods: The study was a cross sectional non-randomized convenience sample prospective study that employed a 19-questions survey that was administered to parents of patients at the KSU pediatric dental clinics. Prior to the parents completing the survey, they were provided with an informative document about SDF. Results: A total of 390 participants completed the survey. Outcomes from the logistic regression analysis revealed that children’s age, child’s screaming behavior and previously receiving general anesthesia were significant determinants (p < .01) of parent willingness to accept SDF treatment. Specifically, parents whose children were at least 7 years old were approximately 1.8 times more likely to accept SDF treatment, parents who reported their child screaming are approximately 65% less likely to accept SDF treatment, parents who reported that their child had received general anesthesia were 2.4 times more likely to accept SDF treatment. Conclusion: In agreement with results from previous studies, parents whose children previously had general anesthesia for a dental procedure were significantly more likely to accept SDF treatment.