Maintaining an evidence-based practice (EBP) is a daunting task. After a full day in clinical practice there is neither the stamina nor the time to continually immerse ourselves in clinical research. We often rely on our investment in continuing education only to be disappointed by a biased or corporate affiliated learning experience. The knowledge translation then becomes subjective rather than objective evidence based information.

Today’s dental hygiene practice has a client population at risk for caries, periodontal disease and oral cancer related to distinct lifestyle and sexual behaviours. Now more than ever we need to reflect EBP to complement our risk assessment and risk management for our dental hygiene client.

What is evidence based practice?
Evidence based practice (EBP) is defined as; “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual clients. The practice of evidence based decision making means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research.”

Acknowledgements: Article from Oral Hygiene - May 2014. Used with permission from Oral Health Group.