Silver diamine fluoride - a new proposal for the non-operative treatment for approximal caries lesions in primary molars: randomized clinical trial

The radiographic progression was used as a secondary outcome and to evaluate with clinical standard of lesions progression. Regression analyses were used to verify if the treatment influenced on these outcomes after 12 and 24 months (per-protocol analyses - multilevel Poisson and survival analysis). Cost-efficacy ratios were calculated for the treatments. To compare the cost-efficacy of implementing the use of DFP versus other options tested, the incremental cost-efficacy ratio was used. Poisson regression analyses were used to verify the association between discomfort and explanatory variables. The parents' satisfaction about the treatments were explored descriptively. A total of 316 approximal surfaces were included. The majority of them were classified as ICDAS (International Caries Detection and Assessment System) score 2 associated with absence of radiographic image. The dropout in the study was 15% and 24% at 12-month and 24-month follow-up, respectively. There was no association between treatment groups and lesions progression at 12 and 24 months, both for the per-protocol analysis and by survival analysis. The rate of clinical lesions progression to cavity into dentine was 2.5% at 12 months and 5.6% at 24 months. Lesions without initial radiographic image did not progress into the middle of the dentine or more. Baseline clinical condition of caries lesions was associated with lesions progression in all analyses. The caries risk was also associated to caries progression in 24-month analyses and in the survival analyses