How do dental faculty members relate to Evidence-Based Dentistry?

Abstract

Building the rationale to critically appraise scientific evidence on the best approach for each patient requires incorporating the Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD) model, preferably into undergraduate dental courses. This approach would favor the diffusion of EBD culture amongst dental professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the relationship of dental faculty members with the EBD model. The study was conducted in 2018 with all 23 dental faculty members (100% response rate) of a community university. They responded the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ) and a set of supporting questions involving sociodemographics, search for information, proficiency of foreign languages, and perceived need for knowledge on issues related to EBD. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. A total of 73.9% of faculty members claimed having been prepared to search for scientific evidence and 69.5% are aware of connected computer systems for research. Scientific journals, the internet, courses, and colleague opinions were the main sources of information. Reading and comprehension of foreign languages was limited to 30%. The practice and attitudes towards EBD by dental faculty members were positive, with the lowest mean value of 4.85. Knowledge and skills related to EBD had lower mean values, which coincided with a relatively high perceived need for knowledge on EBD. Dental faculty members present a positive attitude towards the EBD model, have been trained to search for scientific information and acknowledge the existence of institutional structure for applying and teaching EBD. On the other hand, knowledge and skills associated with EBD may require improvement.