History of use of silver compound
About 1000 years ago, in Japan, there was a custom
among the ladies to dye their teeth black called
“Ohaguro,” for expressing married. Although, it was
tooth cosmetics, at the same time, it is conceived to
prevent the dental caries.[17]
The first medicinal use for silver appears to have been
around 1000 BC.[18] Current uses of silver compounds in
medicine revolve around the application of silver nitrate,
silver foil, and silver sutures.[19] Von Naegeli[20] found
that silver nitrate being a very effective antimicrobial
agent.
From a dental perspective, Stebbins[25] used silver
amalgam and nitric acid on carious teeth and found that
caries inhibition was present. Subsequently, Howe[22]
directly applied silver nitrate to caries lesions with
similar results, and it was termed as “Howe’s solution.”
It was used for caries arresting purpose for the next 50
years.
Development of silver diamine fl uoride in dentistry
Craig et al.[23] reported that AgF solution was used in
dentistry as early as the 1970s. A similar compound,
SDF, has been accepted as a therapeutic agent by the
Central Pharmaceutical Council of the Ministry of
Health and Welfare in Japan for dental treatment since
the 1960s.[24]
A solution of 38% SDF was also used in China to arrest
caries.[28] Also, a few dentists in Southern California who
used SDF to arrest caries of young children with early
childhood caries.[26] Community projects using SDF to
arrest caries were planned for Cuba, sub-Saharan Africa
and in several African countries.[6] The use of SDF is
quite scarce during this period and not much literature
is available in English during this period.