Evidence-based dental practice: searching the literature and writing a report

Brainstorm how you would like to approach your topic, use an EBM tool like PICO, identify the main concepts or keywords, transfer your question into a searchable question by making it more specific.

• P: Patient, problem, population
• I: Intervention
• C: Comparison, control (optional)
• O: Outcomes (clinical and your own search outcomes)

Example 1:

Original question: "What is the most efficient way of dealing with anxious children undergoing dental treatment?"

• P: Children, dental treatment
• I: Pharmacological therapies: Nitrous Oxide (or use another drug)
• C: Behavioral, cognitive therapies
• O: Alleviate dental anxiety

Research question: What is the most efficient way of dealing with anxious children undergoing dental treatment, pharmacological therapies, or behavioral, cognitive therapies?

Example 2:

Original question: A fifty-six-year-old, systematically healthy male patient with chronic periodontitis is looking for treatment. He is afraid of dental procedures and would like to avoid staying in the dental chair too long.

• P: Periodontitis
• I: Sonic, machine-driven
• C: Manual instruments
• O: Efficient

Research question: In adult patients with chronic periodontitis, does nonsurgical periodontal treatment (sonic/ultrasonic scalers) or manual instruments reduce duration of treatment?

Adapted from : Faggion, C. M.,Jr, & Tu, Y. K. (2007). Evidence-based dentistry: A model for clinical practice. Journal of dental education, 71(6), 825-831.