Projects
032 – The use of silver diamine fluoride by Australian dental professionals
- Chief Investigator A: Dr Mihiri Silva
- Chief Investigator B: Dr James Fernando
- Chief Investigator C: Dr Michael Wylie
- Associate Investigators: Miss Marianne Yu Rei Chua, Mr Benjamin Brian Douglas, Ms Pei Peggie Chen, Miss Deniz Mirza, Mr Jason Do, Mr Arjun Amreet Singh Gosal, Mr Nathan Yik-Sum Fong, Mr Xujia Cao, Mr Haesun Jo and Mr Matthew Lingdong Du
Introduction
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a topically applied clinical treatment solution with a combined therapeutic effect of silver ions and fluoride ions that is approved by the Therapeutics Goods Administration as a treatment for dentine hypersensitivity in Australia. However, off-label use of SDF to arrest and prevent dental caries is increasingly mentioned in guidelines for caries management.
Aim
To determine the attitudes and perceptions of dental professionals towards SDF usage in Australia.
Rationale
There is currently a lack of consensus, evidence-based protocols and directions for the use of SDF in Australia and its frequency of application with regards to treatment of dental caries. Additionally, use of SDF to manage dental caries has only recently gained attention within Australia, with information describing its use largely sourced outside higher education institutions and/or from overseas where regulations may differ. The associated barriers to appropriate use of SDF by Australian dental practitioners are yet to be investigated, and the proposed research project intends to address these issues.
Methodology
This is an online, quantitative, anonymous survey of dental practitioners.
This project has human research ethics approval from the University of Melbourne (Project ID 2022-23081-26855-2).
What are the expected outcomes?
It is anticipated this project will:
- address important barriers to the use of a potentially valuable clinical tool that can enhance the provision of minimally invasive dentistry in Australia
- highlight areas for further research and training to ensure optimal clinical practice.
