Evidence Based Dentistry

Question 1

What does the American Dental Association (ADA) define evidence-based dentistry as?

Answer 1

The integration of:

• Systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence
• Dentists clinical expertise
• The patient’s treatment needs and preferences

Question 2

What is the basis of evidence based dentistry?

Answer 2

Making clinical decisions based on good quality evidence

Question 3

What are the 5 A’s?

Answer 3

• Ask: ask questions in a focused way to find evidence
• Align/Acquire: search for and retrieve evidence
• Appraise: critically appraise evidence for validity and clinical relevance
• Apply: apply the evidence to patient treatment/care

Question 4

What do peer reviewers assess?

Answer 4

• The validity of a study (the design, methods, results)
• Importance of the study
• Originality
• Should the paper be published/improved/rejected

Question 5

What are the issues with peer review?

Answer 5

• Can’t prevent fraud, plagiarism or duplication
• Corruption
• Quality of the review process
• Skills of the reviewer
• Time-consuming

Question 6

What makes bad research?

Answer 6

• Not needed: no more research required because we already have the answer
• Poor design: wrong design, inappropriate control/comparison group, biased
• Poorly reported
• Not reported

Question 7

What does PICO stand for?

Answer 7

Population: how would I describe a group of patients similar to this one?

Intervention: what is being “done” to the patients

Comparison: what are we comparing to?

Outcome: desire or undesired

Question 8

What is the Hall Technique?

Answer 8

A method for managing carious primary molars. The decay is sealed in under a performed stainless steel crown.