Log of Literature

Dental Hygiene II

Morgen Greif

Mikhail, C. A. & Williams J. M. (2020). Reducing caries risk with topical fluoride. Dimensions

of Dental Hygiene, 18(6), 22-23.

My final article, entitled Reducing Caries Risk with Topical Fluoride, states that topical

fluorides are the most effective way to use fluoride in the prevention of dental caries. A caries

risk assessment and patient compliance are both important in determining the appropriate

fluoride regimen. It is important for dental professionals to understand the different treatment

options because it can play a significant role in dental caries management. Some of the options

include gels, varnishes, and liquids. In-office fluoride gels are often used to reduce caries in

children’s permanent teeth. They are applied with a tray for 4 minutes, and patients are instructed

to wait 30 minutes before eating or drinking after it is applied. Fluoride varnishes have a tacky

consistency that causes it to stick to the surface of the teeth. After it is applied, patients are able

to eat and drink but shouldn’t brush their teeth until the next day. The newest form of fluoride is

silver diamine fluoride, and it is recommended to be used to reverse or arrest noncavitated caries

lesions. It is important to get informed consent for SDF because it causes stains on the carious

tooth structure and soft tissues. Once the area is dried, the fluoride can be applied with a

microbrush. The patient is able to eat and drink after the procedure. Applying SDF once a year is

proven to be more effective in preventing caries in children than applying fluoride varnish four

times a year. It can also be used to irrigate a root canal. Although SDF is very effective and is

simple to apply, the downfall of staining is hard to overcome for some patients.
 This article was informative, as a dental hygiene student, in the different types of

fluorides that are available to use. I learned that liquid silver diamine fluoride is very effective. It

arrests more than 75% of caries when applied every 6 months, and it is more effective when used

annually than other options used multiple times in a year. This shows how useful SDF is. The

information in this article was helpful to know and I will use this information once I begin

applying fluoride. We have not yet learned to apply fluoride but I’m sure we will go over similar

information before we begin doing so.