An Introduction To Evidence Based Dentistry

Question 1

Why are confusing health messages sent?

Answer 1

Absence of lack of evidence
Lack of agreement on scientific evidence
Lack of agreement on the strength of scientific evidence
Conflict of interest

Question 2

What is the Cochrane oral health group?

Answer 2

Compromises an international network of healthcare professionals, researchers and consumers preparing, maintaining and disseminating systematic reviews of studies in oral health.

Question 3

How do we make good clinical decisions?

Answer 3

Good doctors use both individual clinical expertise and the best available external evidence and neither alone is enough. Without clinical expertise, practice risks becoming tyrannised by evidence, for even excellent external evidence may be inapplicable to or inappropriate for an individual patient.

Question 4

Study designs

Answer 4

Cross-sectional study - present
Prospective cohort study - present to future
Retrospective cohort study - past to present
Case-control study - past to present
Randomised controlled trial - present to future