Annual review of selected scientific literature: Report of the Committee on Scientific Investigation of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry

Abstract

It is critical for the dental profession, and for patients, that dentists practice evidence-based dentistry. However, in a contemporary product-driven world, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many clinicians to practice at this level. One of the primary reasons for this is that there is a paucity of evidence available in the upper levels of the evidence-based hierarchy (meta-analyses or systematic reviews of properly conducted, randomized, controlled clinical trials, or RCTs). Additionally, with the large number of journals currently available, there are expanding numbers of scientific articles for clinicians to read and analyze. There are also many more commercialized sources of information, and dentists are deluged with information from trade journals, advertisements, and brochures. Sources for continuing dental education abound, and information, good, bad, and indifferent, is obtained from both lectures and Internet sites.