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April 28, 2024

BLENDING ART AND SCIENCE FOR BETTER DENTAL PATIENT OUTCOMES

February 10, 2004 Lisle, Ill. -- The relative ease with which people can access dental information is one factor driving an interest in evidence-based dentistry (EBD), a seemingly new approach to dental care that integrates dentists' judgments with the latest published dental studies.

-- The relative ease with which people can access dental information is one factor driving an interest in evidence-based dentistry (EBD), a seemingly new approach to dental care that integrates dentists' judgments with the latest published dental studies.

"With the spread of information technology, heightened consumer interest in health news and a rapidly growing base of science related to oral health, it's a logical step for the dental profession to critically evaluate the available research and note best practices when possible," said Dr. Katina Morelli, D.D.S., Dental Director for Delta Dental Plan of Illinois (DDPIL).

Though EBD is relatively new, Dr. Morelli said that it's already being used to evaluate the risk for certain oral diseases and customize care accordingly. While dentists still urge patients to floss daily, brush after meals and schedule dental exams twice per year, patients are likely to receive more specific instructions, tailored to meet their specific oral health needs.

Dr. Morelli said that the trend is toward individualized, risk profiled care, supported by analyses of data from clinical studies and insurance claims, and tailored according to personal relationships between dentists and their patients. Because the most common oral diseases, such as gum disease and cavities, are largely preventable, the evidence-based approach is particularly effective.

For patients who are prone to periodontal disease, for instance, doctors might prescribe a specific program emphasizing preventive home care and more frequent dental exams to monitor problems before they surface.

"Like all the medical arts, dentistry is to some degree an interpretive enterprise and no one can evaluate how a patient's dental care habits, family history, eating habits or general physical health will affect a treatment recommendation better than a dentist," Dr. Morelli said. "The goal is not to set a rigid standard for care. It's to establish a baseline of what has worked best for the most people with similar conditions and allow appropriate modification tailored to the individual."

DDPIL is a not-for-profit dental service corporation specializing in providing comprehensive, easy-to-use and cost-effective benefits to over one million employees and family members in more than 3,000 employee groups throughout Illinois. Based in Lisle, Ill., DDPIL offers an array of extensive nationwide network-based managed fee-for-service, PPO and dental HMO plans.