Utilization of silver diamine fluoride by dentists in Canada: a review of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Dental Claims database

Introduction In August 2020, Indigenous Services Canada’s Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program approved reimbursement for silver diamine fluoride (SDF), a dental caries–arresting agent, for NIHB-eligible clients of all ages. We investigated the utilization of SDF for NIHB-eligible children and youth and determined trends and regional differences. Methods The NIHB program provided data on SDF claims for children and youth (< 17 years) from 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2022. We derived descriptive statistics and calculated rates of SDF application by dividing the number of children and youth with SDF claims by the number of NIHB-eligible children and youth (n = 215 215). Results There were 4158 SDF claims for 3465 children and youth (1542 in 2020–2021 and 1923 in 2021–2022, a 24.7% increase). The mean (SD) age was 7.9 (4.0) years, and 52.9% were female. General dentists made the most claims (87.1%). Manitoba had the most initial claims (19.6%), but Alberta had the highest number of follow-up claims. Nunavut (37.0/1000; 95% CI: 33.8–40.4) and Northwest Territories (20.9/1000, 95% CI: 17.2–25.1) had the highest rates of SDF claims. Conclusion The increase in the number of SDF claims over the 2 years may indicate that more dental care providers have become aware that the NIHB program covers SDF treatment and have incorporating it into their caries treatment approaches. Still, few children and youth received follow-up SDF applications, potentially reducing the effectiveness of caries arrest.