title: Evidence-based prosthodontics: fundamental considerations, limitations, and guidelines.
abstract: Evidence-based dentistry is rapidly emerging to become an integral part of patient care, dental education, and research. Prosthodontics is a unique dental specialty that encompasses art, philosophy, and science and includes reversible and irreversible treatments. It not only affords good applicability of many principles of evidence-based dentistry but also poses numerous limitations. This article describes the epidemiologic background, fundamental considerations, scrutiny of levels of evidence, limitations, guidelines, and future perspectives of evidence-based prosthodontics. Understanding these principles can aid clinicians in appropriate appraisal of the prosthodontics literature and use the best available evidence for making confident clinical decisions and optimizing patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reconstructive Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, L6078, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. Electronic address: avinashbidra@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Avinash S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bidra
mesh_terms: D018865:Dental Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D055094:Evidence-Based Dentistry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011476:Prosthodontics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards
keywords: Evidence-based dentistry; Guidelines; Prospective studies; Prosthodontics; Randomized controlled clinical trials; Retrospective studies; Systematic reviews