“…T he dental profession is unique among the various types of health care providers in that, in most instances, the dental practitioner alone is responsible for performing a diagnosis, determining treatment options, and performing the chosen treatment. Variations have been found among dental practitioners regarding diagnosis and treatment of dental caries lesions, 1-5 periapical lesions, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] third molars, [14][15][16][17] and malocclusions, 18,19 as well as differences in antibiotic prescription habits after endodontic treatment 20 and extractions. 21 This variation can be explained by differences in culture, patient preferences, treatment methods, prevalence of disease, practitioner to patient ratio, available resources, reimbursement systems, postgraduation education, and the existence and application of clinical guidelines.…”