title: Practical considerations for conducting dental clinical trials in primary care.
abstract: There is increasing importance placed on conducting clinical trials in dentistry to provide a robust evidence base for the treatment provided, and models of care delivered. However, providing the evidence upon which to base such decisions is not straightforward, as the conduct of these trials is complex. Currently, only limited information is available about the strategies to deliver successful clinical trials in primary care settings, and even less available on dental clinical trials. Considerable knowledge and experience is lost once a trial is completed as details about effective management of a trial are generally not reported or disseminated to trial managers and researchers. This leads to loss of vital knowledge that could assist with the effective delivery of new trials. The aim of this study is to examine the conduct and delivery of five dental clinical trials across both Australia and the UK and identify the various factors that impacted upon their implementation. Findings suggest that early stakeholder engagement, and well-designed and managed trials, lead to improved outcomes for researchers, clinic staff and patients, and increases the potential for future dissemination and translation of information into practice.
authors.affiliation: Dental Health Services Victoria, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053, Australia.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martin-Kerry
authors.affiliation: Dundee Dental School, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 4HN.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lamont
authors.affiliation: Dundee Dental School, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 4HN.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keightley
authors.affiliation: 1] Dental Health Services Victoria, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053, Australia [2] Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053, Australia [3] Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, La Trobe University.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Calache
authors.affiliation: North Richmond Community Health Service, 23 Lennox Street, Richmond 3121, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Dundee Dental School, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 4HN.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Floate
authors.affiliation: Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group, 35 Elizabeth St, North Richmond, Australia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Princi
authors.affiliation: 1] Dental Health Services Victoria, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053, Australia [2] Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053, Australia.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: de Silva
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003729:Dental Care / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D003762:Dental Instruments; D018865:Dental Research / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods; D018579:Patient Selection; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012606:Scotland