College of Dental Medicine Lasting Impressions Magazine

24 © NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY children were treated at the NSU clinics located at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, and at the Broward County campus of Kids In Distress in Wilton Manors. “I wanted to see if parents were willing to accept SDF as a treatment option for their children,” Miller said. “SDF is a hot topic right now.” In October 2017, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry issued the first evidence-based guideline on the use of SDF. The academy’s systematic review of research, on which the guideline was based, found no significant adverse effects. The guideline has faced resistance from parents, however, because the downside of SDF is it turns cavities black. Treating cavities in young children, and especially those with special needs such as autism, often involves sedation or general anesthesia in an operating room setting. “SDF gives pediatric dentists a way to not have to sedate the child, which has additional health risks,” Cundy said. “With SDF, we can stop the cavity from getting bigger, which buys us time.” She added that the restoration may be done event- ually, but SDF keeps the cavity in check until then. Cundy found that the parents she surveyed were college educated, which seemed to lessen their acceptability to SDF. “The dark color is not very aesthetic. Also, in the autism community, fluoride has a negative connotation,” she said. “When you mention fluoride, the parents shut down.” Cundy referenced studies in the past five years that linked fluoride consumption to contributing to autism. The accuracy of those studies has never been proven. Cundy doesn’t know if her research will result in more acceptance from parents of special-needs children. How- ever, she does believe it will make an impact. “The survey introduced them to a great tool on the market, and with more knowledge and education, I believe it might become an option,” she said. “Every time you bring something up to parents, they go home and look it up. ‘Doctor Google’ tells people everything, so they start talking about it in their parent groups, for instance, and then the information is out there.” Left:Professors Romer Ocanto, left,and Judith R.Chin discuss research by pediatric dental resident Mitchell Miller. Above:Mitchell Miller presents the research he conducted at the CDM’s two pediatric dental clinics for the underserved.