Texas dental journal
-
Texas dental journal · Feb 2011
The evidence-based dentistry initiative at Baylor College of Dentistry.
This report describes the impact of an R25 Oral Health Research Education Grant awarded to the Texas A&M Health Science Center-Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD) to promote the application of basic and clinical research findings to clinical training and encourage students to pursue careers in oral health research. At Baylor, the R25 grant supports a multi-pronged initiative that employs clinical research as a vehicle for acquainting both students and faculty with the tools of evidence-based dentistry (EBD). ⋯ Progress on these fronts is reflected in a nascent "EBD culture" characterized by increasing participation and buy-in by students and faculty. The production of a new generation of dental graduates equipped with the EBD skill set as well as a growing nucleus of faculty who can model the importance of evidence-based practice is of paramount importance for the future of dentistry.
-
Texas dental journal · Feb 2011
Teaching evidence-based practice at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston.
This brief report outlines the current curriculum for evidence-based practice at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston (UTDB). This curriculum is now based on the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation 2010 Accreditation Standards for Dental Education Programs. ⋯ Students learn to be clinically effective through use of the components of evidence-based practice, information search and retrieval, critical thinking (appraisal), and through information resource evaluation and then application to the patient or population. Planned innovations in curriculum include further implementation of evidence-based decision-making in clinical courses, including development of the clinical prescription as a means of demonstrating competence in asking and answering clinical questions, and of the portfolio as a means of demonstrating overall competence.
-
Texas dental journal · Aug 2010
Conflicts of interest in research: is clinical decision-making compromised? An opinion paper.
Lack of transparency in funded research can compromise clinical decision-making in an evidence-based practice. Transparency can be defined as full disclosure of all financial assistance and support to authors and investigators. ⋯ One suggested solution to this common ethical dilemma is to continue the dialogue on transparency in research and to create oversight bodies which include representatives from business and industry, private practice, academia, and research. There is increasing evidence of the need for more ethics education at all levels.
-
Tobacco companies continue to develop and aggressively market new products for oral use. Most new products are intended to dissolve in the mouth and swallow rather than spit out the juices. These products effectively circumvent smoke-free policies, decrease tobacco cessation efforts, and create individuals who use both smokeless tobacco (ST) and cigarettes. ⋯ Unlike cigarettes, the contents of ST vary widely by brand and product posing difficulty in the use of the available pharmacotherapy for cessation. Although no uniform guidelines exist for the use of pharmacotherapy for smokeless tobacco cessation, research suggests that use of these drugs is effective. The most important motivator for quitting ST cessation remains in the hands of the dentist.