Evidence-based dentistry - the tool we should use in the clinical practice - official Polish version of the Consort Declaration to facilitate reporting of clinical trials

Abstract

For several years now, the enigmatic term Evidence- Based Dentistry (EBD) has been addressed in dental literature fuelling a discussion which concerned the question of both the true nature of EMB and the threats it poses to both dental practice and contemporary treatment of the patient. Critics of EBD emphasize the danger of dehumanization of medicine by introducing an analytical and statistical approach, which replaces the individual treatment of each case based on the experience and clinical knowledge of a doctor. This article is an attempt to explain the essence of EBD and to show that it is a useful tool supporting every clinician who should tailor each clinical decision to individual patient’s needs based on EBD as well as on their clinical knowledge and experience. Moreover, the article brings a conclusion that only well- designed and performed clinical trials, carrying new knowledge about the prevention and treatment of oral diseases, are able to ensure the development of EBD, which would help dentists in their clinical practice. Most importantly, such studies need to be described according to very strict criteria so as to provide clear and transparent information on the methodology, findings and conclusions originating from this research. Therefore, this article contains a translation, authorized by the authors of the CONSORT statement, of clinical reporting guidelines from 2010 which was created to facilitate for the Polish pioneers in EBD the process of designing and describing reliable and high- quality clinical trials.