Which is described as the least expensive salt of silver, commercially available in various concentrations, and used historically in medicine?

• A. Silver diamine fluoride
• B. Silver nitrate
• C. Silver fluoride
• D. Colloidal silver

Answer: (B)

Silver nitrate is the best choice because it is the simplest, most economical silver salt that has historically functioned as a broad antiseptic and topical medicine. Its low cost and ready availability in various concentrations made it a staple for wound care and other medical uses long before newer silver compounds or dental-specific products appeared.

Colloidal silver isn’t a salt at all, but a suspension of tiny silver particles, so it doesn’t fit the description of a salt used in medicine. Silver diamine fluoride and silver fluoride are newer, more specialized dental agents and are not as inexpensive or as historically widespread as silver nitrate.