title: Principles of evidence-based dental practice (EBDP).
abstract: In an effort to improve patient care, there has been a growing trend across the nation and the world to embed the principles of evidence-based dentistry into mainstream care delivery by private practicing dentists. Evidence-based dentistry is an essential tool that is used to improve the quality of care and to reduce the gap between what we know, what is possible, and what we do. An evidence-based health care practice is one that includes the decision maker's ability to find, assess, and incorporate high-quality, valid information in diagnosis and treatment. The evidence is considered in conjunction with the clinician's experience and judgment, and the patient's preferences, values, and circumstances. This article introduces the basic skills of evidence-based dentistry. Their practice requires a discipline of lifelong learning in which recent and relevant scientific evidence are translated into practical clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Baylor College of Dentistry-Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC), 75246, USA. habdellatif@bcd.tamhsc.edu
authors.forename: Hoda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdellatif
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Dechow
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D019992:Databases as Topic; D003657:Decision Making; D003729:Dental Care / Q000592:standards; D048048:Dental Informatics; D018865:Dental Research; D055094:Evidence-Based Dentistry / Q000379:methods*; D005246:Feedback; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010358:Patient Participation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results