280 - Acceptability of Silver Diamine Fluoride for Treating Early Childhood Caries

Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate primary caregivers' perceptions of the acceptability of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) as a treatment option for Early Childhood Caries (ECC) compared with commonly available treatments.

Methods: Survey data were collected from 104 primary caregivers of a child seen at the Dental Clinic at the Children’s Hospital Colorado on their perceptions related to SDF treatment. The survey also included items on demographics, dental history of the child, and concerns regarding dental treatment and was collected electronically through REDCap. The Chi-Square test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the proportions between the groups. Univariate and multivariable analysis was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of SDF with independent variables.

Results: About 25% caregivers accepted traditional treatment for ECC, and 68.3% caregivers accepted SDF treatment overall. Of those who accepted SDF treatment overall, 72.1% accepted SDF in the back teeth and 57.7% accepted treatment in the front teeth. In the univariate analysis, the acceptability of SDF decreased if the caregiver was worried about the darkness of front teeth (p=0.007), had a child with less history of dental pain (p=0.011). The acceptability increased if the caregiver worried more about the use of a drill (0.04). In the multivariable model, the acceptance of SDF decreased with if the caregiver was worried about the darkness of the front teeth ( p=0.003).

Conclusion: This cross-sectional study showed that primary caregivers were more accepting of SDF treatment overall. However, caregiver and child factors were closely associated the level of acceptance