The microbiome of Severe-Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC), is characterized by an ecosystem comprising bacterial and fungal species, with a predominance of Candida species. Hence, an anti-cariogen effective against both bacteria and fungi would be valuable in the management of S-ECC. Methods Here we evaluate the antifungal effect of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) against 35-clinical yeast isolates (Ten-each of C. albicans , C. krusei, C. tropicalis and five C. glabrata strains) from dentinal

more »

... -lesions from S-ECC. Results Disc-diffusion and time-kill assays as well as MIC 50 and MIC 90 evaluations against therapeutic concentrations confirmed the broad-spectrum anti-candidal potency of SDF. Ultrastructural images revealed morphologic aberrations of yeastcell walls on exposure to SDF. All C. krusei and C. glabrata isolates were significantly more sensitive to SDF, relative to the standard antifungal fluconazole. Conclusions Our data, for the first time, elucidate the antifungal potency of SDF, in addition to its known antibacterial activity, in the management of S-ECC. Background Dental caries, the most prevalent chronic disease of humans, [1] is a highly dynamic pathological process initiated and perpetuated by a polymicrobial community of organisms residing in plaque biofilms [2] . Despite advances in the understanding and the management of the caries process over the last few decades, little headway has been made to eradicate caries, particularly in underserved populations in the developing world [3] [4] [5] . The mutans-group of streptococci is classically considered as prime movers of the University of Sharjah, is kindly acknowledged for her support in preparation of samples for SEM analysis. For ultrastructural topography using SEM, was performed