Silver diamine fluoride compared to atraumatic restorative technique for the treatment of caries in primary and mixed first phase dentition.

Introduction: Cavitated carious lesions in primary and mixed dentition require prompt treatment to control caries progression. Silver diamine fluoride has emerged as an alternative to the atraumatic restorative technique due to its easy application. However, there is still uncertainty regarding its effectiveness and safety.
Methods: We searched in Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a metanalysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach.
Results and Conclusions: We identified ten systematic reviews, including two studies overall, which are randomized trials. We concluded that silver diamine fluoride compared to the atraumatic restorative technique may increase the arrest of caries in primary and mixed first phase dentition, however, the certainty of the evidence has been assessed as low. On the other hand, treatment with silver diamine fluoride compared to the atraumatic restorative technique (ART) probably increases the risk of adverse events.