Redmond, OR and West Palm Beach, FL – October 27, 2017 -- A five-year study comparing the effectiveness of utilizing a combination therapy of Advantage Arrest® Silver Diamine Fluoride plus fluoride varnish (“simple care”) versus a combination therapy of a traditional sealant plus fluoride varnish (“complex care”) will be conducted in 60 elementary schools in the Bronx, NY. The study will be led by NYU Dentistry’s Richard Niederman, DMD and Ryan Richard Ruff MPH, PhD. In addition to analyzing the effects of the different products, this study will also compare care delivered by nurses as well as dental hygienists. 

Dr. Mike Shirtcliff of Advantage Silver Dental Arrest stated: “We are excited to hear that Advantage Arrest Silver Diamine Fluoride will be used to potentially help so many children in these high-need elementary schools.” Kevin Thomas, Managing Member of Elevate Oral Care, the commercialization organization for Advantage Arrest Silver Diamine Fluoride, said: “We are happy to play a part in this extremely worthwhile effort.”

The PCORI award is the latest acknowledgement of the potential that silver diamine fluoride can have on treating cavities in a simple, cost-effective manner. The PCORI award announcement comes on the heels of $9.8 million dollars in funding recently awarded by the National Institutes of Health to conduct a Phase III clinical trial using Advantage Arrest® Silver Diamine Fluoride 38% for arresting caries in children.

In 2016, Advantage Arrest® Silver Diamine Fluoride 38% was the first product ever to receive the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) for the arrest of tooth decay in children and adults. It is the only oral care product to ever receive this prestigious designation. BTD represents the FDA’s effort to address an unmet, serious, life-threatening medical need where there is no available therapy.