¹ Pediatric dentistry department, Dentistry Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, México;

² Interdisciplinary destistry department, Dentistry Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, México;

³ Periodontology dentistry department, Dentistry Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, México;

⁴ Medicine Faculty, Centro de Estudios Universitarios Xochicalco, Tijuana, México

Due to the high prevalence of carious lesions, particularly in children due to the thinner dentin in primary teeth, minimally invasive, non-restorative strategies have become increasingly important in pediatric dentistry, especially the use of silver-based compounds. This study aimed to compare the remineralization capacity of two carious lesion arresting materials, silver diamine fluoride (SDF) and silver nitrate (SN) with sodium fluoride varnish (SFV), by evaluating mineral density using a laser scanning system to measure fluorescence inside each tooth's structure (DIAGNOdentpen). 16 pediatric patients contributing 46 primary molars were assigned the International Caries Detection and Assessment System codes(ICDAS), ranging from 1 to 3 values, and were randomly assigned to either SDF or SN with SFV treatment. Mineral density was assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months using the DIAGNOdent pen. Intragroup and intergroup comparisons were performed using one-way and two-way ANOVA. Statistically significant reductions in fluorescencevalues were observed in the SDF intragroup, indicating an increase in mineral density, whereas no significant changes were observed in the SN with SFV group. No statistically significant differences were found between groups at any time point. Both treatment protocols demonstrated progressive decreases in fluorescence values, consistent with caries arrest, with earlier remineralization observed in the SDF group. These findings suggest that while both treatments are effective non-invasive options for arresting early carious lesions in primary molars, SDF may provide a faster and more pronounced remineralizing effect.