Standard Operating Procedures Approach for the Implementation of the Evidence-based Dentistry Concept in Dental Practice

Evidence-based dentistry is a concept that when applied to clinical practice may improve the quality of dental treatment. However, dentists’ reluctance to change their behavior may be a barrier to the implementation of the process.

The main purpose of this study was to demonstrate that standard operating procedures (SOPs) may help dentists to apply scientific evidence to their dental practice. SOPs are written instructions on how to execute some specific tasks. A flowchart model demonstrated how an ordinary clinical procedure (composite restoration) can be performed using evidence-based information to support each executed step. Implementing the model into daily practice is straightforward, and the results are accessible to the whole dental team. In addition, the flowchart can be regularly updated with high-quality dental literature such as systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials and randomized controlled trials. This proposed model may help to bridge the gap between research and clinical dental practice by serving as a practical tool to improve the knowledge of dental practitioners and the quality of treatment.