---
title: "Evidence-based dentistry"
chunk: 2/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence-based_dentistry"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:25:32.405790+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

== Need for continuing education ==
Dental graduates around the globe are possibly up to date at the time they graduate, but usually are fundamentally lacking in the understanding of trials/studies design and relevance/importance. Dental specialty training, however, stresses evidence-based outcomes, results and methodologies. But this becomes out of date as new information and technology appear. Hence it is important, especially with regards to patient safety, for dentists to be able to keep up to date with developments. Having an understanding of how to interpret research results, and some practice in reading the literature in a structured way, can turn the dental literature into a useful and comprehensible practice tool. For this to happen, EBD learning absolutely needs to be at the heart of dental education. Dental students can be taught EBD concept during their time in dental school so that they will develop the ability to evaluate critically new knowledge and determine its relevance to the clinical problems and challenges presented by the individual patient. They also acquire the ability to interpret, assess, integrate, and apply data and information in the process of clinical problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. EBD is a lifelong learning process and help to develop ability to learn independently.

=== Medication prescribing ===
Dentists can prescribe medications upon initial registration. This is important as evidence has shown that general practitioners prefer to refer to dentists for the management of dental emergencies. Research has shown that there are potential limitations in the knowledge of dental students for conventional and complementary and alternative medications.

== Organisations that develop evidence-based guidelines and policies ==

=== Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network ===
Formed in 1993, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) goals are to decrease the discrepancy in treatments and results, through the creation and dissemination of nationwide clinical guidelines encompassing recommendations for effective practice established on up-to-date evidence to improve the quality of health care for patients in Scotland.
SIGN guidelines are established using a clear methodology constructed on three fundamental principles, which are:

Development is carried out by multidisciplinary, nationwide representative groups
A systematic review is conducted to recognise and analytically evaluate the evidence
Recommendations are clearly connected to the supporting evidence
As of 2009, SIGN has also adopted the practise of implementing the GRADE methodology to all its SIGN guidelines.

=== Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme ===
Part of NHS Education for Scotland (NES), the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) is an initiative of the National Dental Advisory Committee (NDAC) which is an organisation of dental professionals, across all specialities, that functions as consultative wing to the Chief Dental Officer. Its main goal is to appraise the best available and pertinent information with regards to dentistry and convert it into guidelines which are easily comprehensible and executable.
The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme consist of a central group for Programme Development and multiple other groups for guideline development. With
the principal objective of developing guidance that delivers the best quality of patient care through supporting dental teams, the SDCEP uses the most suitable high-quality evidences from a plethora of sources to make guidelines recommendations.
Founded under the intention of NDAC to give a systematized methodology when providing clinical guidance for the dental profession, the SDCEP has since become a crucial factor between the gold standard practice guidelines and dental education and practice.

== Limitations and criticism ==
Despite the high praise for evidence-based dentistry, there are a number of limitation and criticism that has been given to the process. Chambers DW provides quite a bit of criticism, as well as a number of limitations that evidence-based dentistry provides. In no particular order of importance, a number of mentioned objections towards this format are:

Evidence-based dentistry is too clumsy due to the concept being poorly defined
The implementation of evidence-based dentistry has been distorted by too heavy of an emphasis of computerized searches for research findings that meet the standards of academics
Although EBD advocates enjoy sharing anecdotal accounts of mistakes others have made, faulting others is not proof that one's own position is correct
There is no systematic, high-quality evidence that EBD is effective
Patient and practitioner values are the shortest leg of the stool. As they are so little recognized, their integration in EBD is problematic and ethical tensions exist where paternalism privileges science over patient's self-determined best interests.

== Literature ==
Evidence-based dental journals have been developed as resources for busy clinicians to aid in the integration of current research into practice. These journals publish concise summaries of original studies as well as review articles. These critical summaries, consist of an appraisal of original research, with discussion of the relevant, practical information of the research study.

Evidence-Based Dentistry
Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice.
Systematic reviews are also helpful for the busy practitioner because they combine the results of multiple studies that have investigated the same specific phenomenon or question.

== References ==

== Further reading ==

== External links ==
ADA Policy Statement on Evidence-Based Dentistry
American Dental Association Center for Evidence-based Dentistry Archived 2011-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
American Student Dental Association on Evidence-Based Dentistry
Cochrane Oral Health Group
Evidentista