Caries Arresting Treatment Using Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Versus SDF Modified Atraumatic Restorative Technique (SMART) for Management of Carious Vital Primary Teeth: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a type of dental caries in the teeth of infants and children that is represented as one of the most prevalent dental problems in this period, which can lead to pain, infection, interference with eating.

According to the ADA, (ECC) is described as "the presence of one or more decayed ( cavitated or non cavitated lesions), missing (due to caries), or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth" in children.

Overall, 50% of children have one or more decayed primary teeth by the end of toddler age, but the importance of these teeth should not be neglected, because, healthy teeth in childhood have an important role in the eruption of healthy permanent teeth, healthy nutrition, and aesthetic appearance.

Conventional treatment methods (drill and fill) involve the use of rotary burs under local anesthesia which develops pain and needs cooperative child and highly trained dental health personnel and consider an invasive technique, on the other hand (ART) is an approach to increase accessibility to restorative treatment, inexpensive and can be employed in regions without electricity and running water. In addition, ART is a minimally invasive treatment that requires no rotary instruments or local anesthesia to remove decayed tissue before sealing the cavity with high viscosity glass ionomer cement (GIC).

(SDF), a low-cost cariostatic agent and a noninvasive method for caries management, treatment with SDF are easy, effective, and well accepted, it is also an alternative to traditional restorative treatment and may influence the reduction of untreated carious lesions in childhood