Which Evidence has an Impact on Dentists' Willingness to Change Their Behavior?

There is some literature on how to find the best evidence for clinical practice but little is known about which evidence clinicians actually seek when they look for scientific support in changing behavior. The aim of this study was to explore which evidence has an impact on dentists' willingness to change their behavior by investigating the requirements for seeking and understanding new knowledge, as well as perceived barriers or motives for doing this.

A postal questionnaire was analyzed according to demographic information, access to and use of a personal computer, postgraduate education activity, knowledge about evidence-based medicine and scientific terms, and seeking and grasping new and actual knowledge from 177 dentists. Fifteen of these dentists formed 3 focus groups that were interviewed about the areas in the questionnaire. First-order information, that was required in a short time, was sought by the nearest colleagues. Literature and Internet-based technology were second-order information, mainly sought by younger dentists. The people that were interviewed claimed that the real point of issue was to find new knowledge that could be transferred into practice. Many studies pointing to sometimes diverging results only seem to create confused professionals. To include some qualitative aspects in evidence-based reports could be a way of improving understanding and changing behavior in a favorable direction and perhaps also increase interest for new knowledge.

Keywords: Behavior, Evidence, Knowledge, Qualitative Methodology, Questionnaire