Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene : Evidence based research
ADA Policy Statement on Evidence-based dentistry
The ADA defines the term evidence-based dentistry as an approach to oral health care that requires the judicious integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence, relating to the patient’s oral and medical condition and history, with the dentist’s clinical expertise and the patient’s treatment needs and preferences.
5 steps of evidence-based practice
- Ask an answerable question Use PICO.
- Find the best evidence to answer the question.
- Critically appraise that evidence for its validity and applicability.
- Apply the evidence to clinical practice.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of steps 1-4 and seek ways to improve.
Where to find evidence-based research
CINAHL PLUS is a good place to start.
- CINAHL Plus with full text This link opens in a new windowOffering complete coverage of English-language nursing journals and publications from the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses' Association, CINAHL covers nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines. Video tutorial
- ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines and Dental EvidenceA collection of guidelines, reviews and studies.
PICO
Using the PICO method can help you form research questions more efficiently. PICO stands for:
| Patient | Intervention | Comparison | Outcome |
|
Who is your patient? Age, sex, race or patient Primary problem Health status |
What do you plan on doing for the patient? Diagnostic test Medication Procedure |
What alternative are you considering? Another test, medication or procedure Watchful waiting |
What do wish to accomplish? Accurate diagnosis Relieve or improve symptoms Maintain function |
A sample question would be:
In patients with periodontal disease (P) how does twice annual cleanings (I) compared with annual cleanings (C) influence the progression of the disease (O)?
More on PICO from UNC Health Sciences Library
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