Tools and Methods for Evidence-Based Research in Dental Practice: Preparing the Future

Abstract 

The vast amount of information and research available in dentistry engenders an immense challenge for dentists to manage patients. The future of dental practice rests on the ability of professionals to learn essential strategies for reliably accessing and evaluating the most current and valid research development for the benefit of each individual patient. Evidence-based research in dentistry emerged as a systematic process of critically assessing the published evidence to determine the best treatment for any given patient. The process consists of 5 steps: 1) defining the research question; 2) searching for the pertinent published literature; 3) evaluating the research reports systematically; 4) forming a consensus statement of the best available evidence; and 5) evaluating its clinical relevance. Evidence-based dentistry relies on standard methodology and instruments for searching the available evidence, for analyzing the quality of research reports (ie, internal and external validity), and for evaluating the implications of the best available evidence for the dental community of professionals, patients, insurance carriers, and funding agencies. This article describes the principal tools and methods now available for evidence-based research in dentistry. We also propose avenues of future evolution for this emerging field of research in dental practice.