Evidence‐Based Practice Knowledge, Perceptions, and Behavior: A Multi‐Institutional, Cross‐Sectional Study of a Population of U.S. Dental Students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to help inform faculty and curriculum leaders in academic dental institutions about the knowledge, skills, perceptions, and behavior of an institutionally diverse population of dental students with respect to evidencebased practice (EBP). A survey utilizing the validated Knowledge, Attitudes, Access, and Confidence Evaluation instrument developed by Hendricson et al. was conducted in 2012 with fourth-year dental students at seven geographically dispersed U.S. dental schools. The survey addressed elements of EBP knowledge, attitudes toward EBP, behavior in accessing evidence, and perceptions of competence in statistical analysis. A total of 138 students from the seven schools participated. A slight majority of these students correctly responded to the knowledge of critical appraisal questions. While the students demonstrated positive attitudes about EBP, they did not report high levels of confidence in their critical appraisal skills. The findings also showed that the students accessed various sources of evidence with differing frequencies. The most frequently accessed resources were colleagues, the Internet (excluding Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), and textbooks. The results of this study help to identify areas for improvement in EBP education in order to advance dental students' preparation to become evidence-based practitioners.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dental academia. Students’ experience in online education and expectations for a predictable practice.

“…Nevertheless, there were several areas of weakness that require improvement especially those related to evidencebased practice. This conforms with studies performed in different worldwide institutions where evidencebased dentistry and critical appraisal skills were lacking [14,24,26,27]. We can still argue that the attitudes and knowledge of graduates may alter after embarking into the career world and their concerns might be overcome once they integrate into their practice.…”

Brazilian dentists' perception of dentin hypersensitivity management

“…This situation serves as an alert to the ineffective transfer of knowledge from research to clinical dental practice. 37 It is a call to the awareness that scientific evidence must be communicated to dentists or well disseminated, to enable them to provide their patients with the best possible treatment. 38,39 For this reason, continuing training education programs should be encouraged to keep dental clinicians abreast of the latest developments, and to prepare future professionals to seek out the best available scientific evidence on issues and challenges associated with DH.…”

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

“…A recent survey with North American dental students revealed that most of them agreed that EBD should be an integral part of the dental curriculum, as it potentially improves the quality of health care 18 . On the other hand, it also reports difficulty and lack of confidence in applying the model to the daily practice.…”

“…On the other hand, it also reports difficulty and lack of confidence in applying the model to the daily practice. Interestingly, the most frequent sources of information were colleague opinions, the internet, and textbooks, with rare consultations in critically appraised topics from databases such as the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 18 .…”