Authors:
F. Lobbezoo, M. Naeije
Source:
NTvT january 2006; 113: 014 - 17
Section:
summary:
Nowadays, dentists are expected to base their treatment decisions on the
strongest available evidence. This so-called evidence-based approach has four
steps: the formulation of a clinical problem, the search for evidence, the
evaluation of the evidence, and the treatment of the patient. As part of this
approach, the strongest evidence comes from systematic reviews, which are
free of any author-related bias. Since working according to the principles of
evidence-based dentistry is time consuming, dental schools should assist
general practitioners through producing sufficient numbers of high-quality
systematic reviews. The ever-increasing emancipation of patients stresses the
need of adopting the principles of evidence-based dentistry. ‘Think twice’
should be the motto.