A team of researchers, including Dr. Peter Milgrom and Dr. Lloyd Mancl from the UW School of Dentistry and Dr. Amal Noureldin from the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, have found that professionally applied silver diamine fluoride (SDF) reduced radiation-induced caries in patients undergoing head and neck radiotherapy, supporting its use as a practical chairside preventive intervention.
Radiation-induced caries (RIC) is among the most destructive and persistent oral complications affecting patients treated for head and neck cancer. Unlike conventional caries, RIC progresses rapidly, often within months of radiotherapy, and can result in extensive tooth destruction and early tooth loss if not effectively managed.
For the study, 56 patients were assigned to receive topical 38% SDF or placebo before radiotherapy and at one and three months after radiotherapy. The primary outcome was caries increment, measured as the number of new decayed, missing (due to caries), or filled tooth surfaces at one, three and six months. Secondary outcomes were stimulated salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, gingival index, and oral health–related quality of life.
“Because SDF is fast, professionally applied, and does not rely on patient compliance, it may be a valuable addition to oral care protocols before and after radiotherapy,” says the research paper, published in The Journal of the American Dental Association.
Drs. Milgrom, Mancl, Noureldin and their research teams will continue their collaboration on this research.
For more, read the full research paper here.