Providers often find it difficult to effectively incorporate evidence-based treatments into their daily practice routines. One of the most common problems is lack of awareness of existing evidence. The American Dental Association (ADA) has released a wealth of clinical guidelines designed to assist practitioners in this endeavor. Educating oral health professionals on how to successfully implement these evidence-based treatments will ultimately benefit both patients and providers, enhancing care quality and fostering better health outcomes. Here are some examples of effective strategies and methods.
Pain Management
With the current opioid crisis, clinicians can use 2 common OTC medications to relieve dental pain and avoid opioids. Combining acetaminophen and ibuprofen can reduce mild to moderate dental pain by about 50%. The NNT’s for this combination is about 1.5; Do you know how to interpret this?
Source: JADA 2024:155(2):102-117
Sealants
If you were to pick one area where there is good research not getting into dental practice, what might it be?
Sealants! A clinical practice guideline by the ADA found that sealants reduce caries incidence of carious lesions by about 75%. This is a large magnitude of effect, yet qualitative studies have shown that only about 40% of dentists use sealants in their practices.
Source: JADA 2016:147(8):672-682
Antibiotic Use
Did you know that antibiotics are generally not recommended prior to dental visits to prevent prosthetic joint infection? A clinical practice guideline from the ADA found no benefit for the majority of patients healthy enough to present to a private dental practice. If there is no benefit, clinicians need to look a potential harms of indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
Source: JADA 2015:146(1):11-16