Information‐Seeking Behaviors of Dental Practitioners in Three Practice‐Based Research Networks

Abstract

Research on the information-seeking behaviors of dental practitioners is scarce. Knowledge of dentists' informationseeking behaviors should advance the translational gap between clinical dental research and dental practice. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine the self-reported information-seeking behaviors of dentists in three dental practice-based research networks (PBRNs). A total of 950 dentists (65 percent response rate) completed the survey. Dental journals and continuing dental education (CDE) sources used and their inluence on practice guidance were assessed. PBRN participation level and years since dental degree were measured. Full-participant dentists reported reading the Journal of the American Dental Association and General Dentistry more frequently than did their reference counterparts. Printed journals were preferred by most dentists. A lower proportion of full participants obtained their CDE credits at dental meetings compared to partial participants. Experienced dentists read other dental information sources more frequently than did less experienced dentists. Practitioners involved in a PBRN differed in their approaches to accessing information sources. Peer-reviewed sources were more frequently used by full participants and dentists with ifteen years of experience or more. Dental PBRNs potentially play a signiicant role in the dissemination of evidence-based information. This study found that speciic educational sources might increase and disseminate knowledge among dentists. T he term "information-seeking" is defined as the process of inquiry in which people purposefully engage to change their state of knowledge. 1,2 Previous research across numerous health disciplines has studied the information-seeking behaviors of a broad range of health providers. [3][4][5] The information-seeking sources available to and in use by health professionals, including dentistry, have diversiied over the past years. Online databases (e.g., PubMed), continuing dental education (CDE), communication with colleagues, professional organizations, study clubs, and peer-reviewed journals have been reported as the most common evidence sources utilized by health professionals. 6-9 A study by Bennett et al. found that family physicians were more likely than specialists to search the Internet

Dental Blogs, Podcasts, and Associated Social Media: Descriptive Mapping and Analysis

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Use of scientific evidence by dentists in Brazil: Room for improving the evidence-based practice

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Missed Opportunities for Detecting Alternative Nicotine Product Use in Youth: Data From the National Dental Practice–Based Research Network

“…However, the 20% of clinicians who report going to the peer-reviewed literature first may not obtain much better information than Google searchers. Of the six articles published in dental journals noted earlier, only one appears in any of the journals that dentists have identified as among the publications they read regularly 35,36 . Even if these dentists then have access to and consult major publications in other disciplines -which is unlikely due to paywalls, the information contained would not be specific to oral health and thus the salience of that information for practicing dental professionals is questionable.…”