Parental Acceptance towards Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatment among a Group of Children affected by Early Childhood Caries

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the parental acceptance of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) treatment among a group of children affected by Early Childhood Caries.
subjects and Methods: Three hundred and twenty parents were interviewed for a questionnaire to assess their acceptance of SDF treatment for their children regarding anterior and posterior teeth after showing them photos for cases treated with SDF before and after its application.
Results: 200 mothers and 120 fathers were asked for their opinion about acceptance of SDF treatment for anterior and posterior teeth, the majority of participants rejected the treatment due to SDF staining effect., There was a significant difference regarding educational level of parents with p value (p<0.001), high percentage choosing score (0) strongly refuse and score (1) refuse treatment with low and moderate levels of education. According to child age high percentages of parents accepted treatment for young age children below 2 years rather than exposing them to other invasive treatment including general anesthesia with (p<0.001). In extreme cases where children were medically compromised, parents accepted SDF treatment for posterior teeth 91.8% and for anterior teeth 78.3% with significant difference (p<0.001). More parents accepted SDF staining effect for posterior teeth than anterior teeth.
Conclusions: Most of parents refused SDF treatment for their children. There was a difference in level of acceptance of treatment according to teeth location either anterior or posterior. Educational level, age of child and medical status of the child affected significantly parents’ acceptance of such treatment.