Evidence-based practice and barriers to compliance: Face bow transfer.
OBJECTIVE
To recapitulate a 2003 study inquiring of US dental schools whether they teach the face bow transfer by means of a survey in order to determine if compliance with clinical evidence has improved.


METHODS
The same 54 dental schools surveyed in 2003 were asked the same question regarding whether they teach the use of the face bow transfer in the complete denture curriculum.


RESULTS
Teaching of the face bow transfer has increased in prevalence from 84% of surveyed schools in 2003 to 93.75% of surveyed schools in 2015.


CONCLUSIONS
This finding is especially interesting in light of the fact that there is no compelling evidence supporting the use of the face bow transfer with regard to improving patient outcomes. With respect to the continued unjustified teaching of the face bow transfer, some possible reasons for non-compliance with best available evidence are presented using the medical literature for reference.
Division of Advanced Prosthodontics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Kumar
K
Shah
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, Loma Linda, CA, USA; Division of Advanced Prosthodontics, UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: skoka@kokadentalclinic.com.
Sreenivas
S
Koka
D003779:Denture Design / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055094:Evidence-Based Dentistry; D005115:Extraoral Traction Appliances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D011476:Prosthodontics / Q000193:education*
Face bow transfer; Non-compliance