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Evidence-Based Dentistry: Managing Information For Better Practice

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rajesh kumar
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44 views1 page

Evidence-Based Dentistry: Managing Information For Better Practice

Uploaded by

rajesh kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BOOK REVIEW BOOK REVIEW

Evidence-based Dentistry: academic source does not mean that the results can automatically be

Managing Information for applied to our patient. This book goes a long way to empowering the
dentist and practitioner to find their own evidence, critically appraise
Better Practice it, and apply it appropriately to the individual patient sitting in their
dental chair.
Derek Richards, Jan Clarkson, Debora Matthews,
The book covers all the elements of evidence-based dentistry (EBD)
Rick Niederman and is essentially a written version of the excellent 5-day course held
Quintessence Publishing Co Ltd, Quintessence House, regularly in Oxford. Real-life scenarios, such as the efficacy of fissure-
Grafton Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3AB, UK. sealants, are used to illustrate the various learning points throughout.
2008. 156pp. £28. ISBN 978-1-85097-126-9 The authors are to be commended for guiding the reader step-by-step
through each section, in a clear and very concise manner.
Evidence-based guidelines, Cochrane and systematic reviews
and individual studies are covered in a way that not only explains
their role but also allows the reader to appraise their value. The
different types of study (randomised controlled trial, and cohort,
diagnostic and qualitative studies) are dealt with in detail —
including the demystifying of statistical analyses. Finally, the
‘Keeping Up To Date’ chapter is packed with useful advice in
the same condensed manner. Helpfully, there are screenshots of
PubMed web pages to ensure that even the most IT-challenged
should not get lost.
Much of the content is designed to improve the skills of practis-
ing EBD. We have to recognise the limitations of this sort of book,
however, when trying to improve one’s EBD skills. In this author’s
opinion, an essential part of learning skills is frequent practice,
and this is probably best done on a course led by a tutor. Therefore,
this book should not be seen as a substitute for such a course but a
valuable partner.
The compact nature of this QuintEssentials volume belies the enor- Evidence-based Dentistry: Managing Information for Better
mous value of its contents. The publishers have provided sturdy Practice opens up a world to the general and clinical dental practi-
front and back covers, perhaps knowing this is a book likely to be tioner hitherto only occupied by dental researchers. As my colleague
thumbed frequently by dentists and practitioners who are striving excitedly commented, “it’s like you’re tasting the forbidden fruits
to draw their own conclusions from the glut of ‘evidence’ available of academia!” In our efforts to constantly improve the care for our
to us, or who would like to contribute as a researcher to the evi- individual patients, it is essential that we enable practitioners to
dence base. This is clearly a book designed to gather coffee stains get closer to the research evidence. This book could be seen as an
rather than dust. invitation to dine at the researcher’s table.
The old days of the ‘professional knows best’ are rapidly diminish-
ing. Patients (and their legal representatives) do not just expect us to Andrew Toy
act in their best interests: action must be based on more than a person- Dental Practitioner, Loughborough, UK
al opinion. When coming to treatment decisions, they want to know
that we are using the best available, independent evidence. But who
is providing this evidence? Just because it is published by a respected Evidence-Based Dentistry (2008) 9, 61. doi:10.1038/sj.ebd.6400488

www.nature.com/ebd 61

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