ADA News

Evidence-based dentistry is "not about telling people how to practice, it’s about giving them the best evidence."

EBD fans: Participants of the 2010 EBD Champions Conference listen during the open remarks on March 26. In all, 90 champions representing 35 states took part in the event.

Those are the words that Dr. Leslie Winston imparted to the 140 participants who filled the room during the Association’s 3rd annual EBD Champions Conference held March 26-27 at ADA Headquarters.

The conference, sponsored by the ADA and the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice and supported by an educational grant from Procter & Gamble, drew dentists from private practice, academia and public health and dental team members and armed them with the tools to promote, support, network and disseminate information on evidence-based care to other health professionals in their communities.

Dr. Winston, director of Oral Care Professional & Scientific Relations for P&G, was one of the event’s keynote speakers. She stressed patient satisfaction as one of the reasons that evidence-based practicing is so important.

Expert: Dr. Leslie Winston, director of Oral Care Professional & Scientific Relations for P&G, was one of the keynote speakers at the Association’s 3rd annual EBD Champions Conference held March 26-27 at ADA Headquarters.

"Patients benefit from EBD because practicing EBD drives a different kind of conversation with the patient," she said. "The melding of science, the clinical expertise of the dentist and the patient preferences allows the patient to feel more a part of what is happening to them in the chair. That is the most important benefit I can think of—who wouldn’t want to go to a dentist who is up on the latest information on dentistry?"

The conference featured speaker presentations and included panel discussions, question-and-answer sessions and team workshops.
Additionally, there was a pre-conference workshop held March 25 for those participants interested in gaining practical experience in looking for evidence online. In all, 90 champions representing 35 states took part.

"This conference is an example of how collaboration should work," said Dr. Dan Meyer, senior vice president, ADA Division of Science and Interprofessional Relations, told the audience as he kicked off the conference March 26.

This was the third installment of the EBD Champions Conference, which began in 2008 as a teaching instrument for dentists interested in becoming resources to their local dental communities by promoting an evidence-based approach to patient treatment and disease prevention.

"This was one of the best conferences I have attended in my 43 years as a dentist," said Dr. Dan Watt, a first-time champion from Nampa, Idaho. "As a student of the periodontal literature in the 1980's and 90's and seeing the subjectivity in the evidence proposed by periodontists, it was a relief to end my skepticism and look forward to real evidenced-based dentistry."

In Virginia Beach, Va., Dr. Matt Hogendobler enthused about his plan to network within the Virginia Dental Association. He was also excited upon hearing that dental schools will soon start requiring that EBD be taught in class.

"The significance of evidence-based dentistry cannot be overstated," he said. "Dental research, product technology and practice techniques evolve so rapidly—and independently—that right now, accessing the EBD website through ADA.org is really the only way for dentists, even those as recent as five years out of school, to remain current and maintain the highest degree of care."

Speaker: A leading authority on EBD, Dr. Philippe Hujoel told the audience, "It's not just evidence-based dentistry, it's evidence-based living."

Dr. Philippe Hujoel, a consultant to the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and a leading expert on EBD, got everyone's attention when he said that Seattle-based Starbucks spends more on health care each year than on coffee. He then told the crowd that it’s easier to get baseball stats than statistics about life and death.

"Information can really change your opinions," he told the audience. "Grading evidence is crucial. It's not just evidence-based dentistry, it's evidence-based living. Where do people get their information?"

Added Dr. Winston, P&G really believes that "the profession is more a science than an art. We believe that the translation of that science, whether from P&G or other sources, is important to the future of the profession."

From a public health standpoint, Dr. Bruce Dye of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said he hoped participants "walked away with something more than they came in with."

For more information about EBD, visit http://ebd.ada.org.