Evidence-Based Dentistry conference news

Recently, I was selected to attend the 2010 Evidence-Based Dentistry conference in Chicago. It was sponsored by Proctor & Gamble and the American Dental Association. Having used general research methods for years as an educator, I read with interest the information on the ADA website in preparation for the conference.

Upon arrival, our 90 conference attendees were provided a hands-on introduction to the EBD website and various tools of research; this included how to create PICO questions, search for key terms, as well as locate pertinent systematic reviews and clinical recommendations.

Evidence-based dentistry (EBD) is an approach to oral healthcare 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 oral health professional's clinical expertise and the patient's treatment needs and preferences.

By saying “relating to the patient’s oral and medical condition and history”, this definition takes a patient-centered approach to treatment decisions. It is important to understand that EBD is an approach to practice, an approach to making clinical decisions, and is just one component used to arrive at the best treatment decision. EBD is about providing personalized dental care based on the most current scientific knowledge. (edb.ada.org , 2010)

Participating in this conference increased my abilities to provide authoritative, peer-reviewed information to colleagues, students, and the community. I plan to incorporate and expand the use of evidence-based practice mechanisms as a tool to be used by professionals and consumers to gain the most reliable information available on a wide variety of topics.

To read the conference news reported by ADA, go to ADA website.
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Pam Cushenan, RDH, MS TDEV

Georgia Perimeter College

Department of Dental Hygiene

pamela.cushenan@gpc.edu

http://softsmilesoralhealth.blogspot.com FOLLOW MY BLOG!

EBD conference: Fact finding, thought-provoking treasure

Being selected to participate in the 100 attendee Champion’s conference held at ADA headquarters March 25-27 has given me a whole new perspective on research. Although I was acquainted with Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD), I still had a lot to learn. It began with a hands-on walk-through of the American Dental Association EBD website, familiarization of EBD terms and links, and a practice session. Experts on EBD, including the founder of The Cochrane Collections (gold standard of EBD), shared their methods of EBD application in a variety of settings; these included dental practices, educational facilities, and more. Fourteen tables of attendees had brainstorming sessions and shared outcomes with conference attendees. This process and the information shared stimulated me to return to the internet for research every day.

Some of the common knowledge facts that I believed were challenged and I was able to use new tools and techniques to discover the most current information. As important, meeting and getting to know colleagues with whom to collaborate with on future EBD projects, is a valuable outcome of this conference.

My thanks go out to Proctor & Gamble and ADA for providing this excellent opportunity to combine evidence with clinical judgment and patient needs to enhance my ability to make better decisions, share valid information, and provide better patient guidance and care.