The impact of light curing on the efficacy of silver diamine fluoride in arresting dentinal caries: an in vitro study

Abstract Objective Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is widely used for caries arrest due to its ease of application, minimal caries removal, low patient discomfort, and cost-effectiveness. However, the recommended 60-second (sec) application time may be impractical in patients with limited compliance. This study evaluated the effects of 10-sec versus 60-sec SDF application, with and without light curing, on arresting artificial dentinal caries by analyzing three parameters—percentage change in mean lesion depth (%∆LD), percentage change in mean mineral density (%∆MD), and penetration depth (PD)— assessing surface morphology and elemental composition of the lesions. Materials and methods Artificial dentin lesions were prepared on 40 slices from 10 permanent molars and randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10): (1) SDF60 (60 s application), (2) SDF10 (10 s application), (3) SDF60LC (60 s application + 20 s light curing), and (4) SDF10LC (10 s application + 20 s light curing). The caries activity was generated by a 7-day bacterial pH-cycling model. Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) was used to analyze %∆LD, %∆MD, and PD. Surface morphology and elemental composition were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Results SDF60LC produced the greatest reduction in lesion depth (%∆LD), the largest increase in mineral density (%∆MD), and the highest penetration depth (PD). SDF10 showed significantly less %∆LD and %∆MD compared with both SDF60 and SDF60LC. %∆LD and %∆MD of SDF10LC were not significantly different from either SDF60 or SDF10. However, SDF10LC achieved significantly greater PD than SDF10. Conclusions A 60-sec SDF application with light curing appeared to produce the most favorable outcomes in terms of lesion depth reduction, mineral density gain, and penetration depth. A 10-sec SDF application with light curing produced results comparable to a 60-sec SDF application. Clinical relevance Although a 60-sec SDF application with light curing seems the most effective under laboratory conditions, a shortened 10-sec SDF application with light curing may offer a practical alternative in low-compliance patients. Clinical studies are required to confirm these findings.