Assessment of tannic acid and glutathione in 38% silver diamine fluoride for dentine stain reduction with antibacterial efficacy: An in vitro study.

Silver diamine fluoride (38% SDF) is an effective agent for caries arrest, but its clinical use is limited by undesirable dentine staining. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the effect of tannic acid and glutathione as additives in SDF on stain reduction and antibacterial efficacy using standardized in vitro methods. Sixty dentine specimens were treated and assessed for color change (ΔE) and antimicrobial activity (CFU counts), showing that tannic acid significantly reduced staining while maintaining antibacterial efficacy comparable to SDF alone. Glutathione demonstrated moderate stain reduction but a relative decrease in antimicrobial performance. Thus, we show tannic acid as an effective SDF additive that reduces staining while preserving antimicrobial efficacy.