A team of researchers from New York University (NYU) has developed a new and inexpensive solution for preventing the development of cavities as well as treating existing ones.

Through a school-based cavity prevention study dubbed CariedAway, the researchers discovered that silver diamine fluoride (SDF) prevented cavities and shielded existing cavities from worsening.

Source: Sorel: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau

According to the researchers, the SDF works like a dental sealant — but faster and less expensive — to reduce cavities from having to be drilled and filled. Once applied to the surface of teeth, the SDF reportedly re-mineralizes them.

Under the CariedAway study, traditional sealants and the new SDF treatment were applied to the teeth of 4,000 elementary school students in New York City. During a follow-up four years after the sealants and SDF were applied, it was determined that the SDF was just as effective as regular dental sealants, reportedly preventing 80% of cavities and halting the advancement of 50% of existing cavities.

The SDF treatment is detailed in the article “Noninferiority of Silver Diamine Fluoride vs Sealants for Reducing Dental Caries Prevalence and Incidence,” which appears in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.