Introducing dental students to evidence-based decisions in dental care.

Practicing evidence-based dentistry is a process of lifelong and self-directed learning. Teaching evidence-based dentistry to dental students is the key to increasing the uptake of evidence-based treatments and practices in dentistry. This article describes the procedures undertaken to teach undergraduate dental students at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry how to produce systematic reviews as a module in clinical epidemiology. Nine selected reports have been summarized as examples of the outputs of this module. At the end of the module, students are asked to participate in a survey and anonymously fill out a questionnaire to evaluate the module. Students' evaluation of the module in the 2005-06 (n= 64) and 2006-07 (n=57) academic years were extracted for data analysis. Overall, the majority of students found the module an enjoyable way of learning that has improved their ability to gather information, apply existing evidence to a clinical question, evaluate information, and further develop their communication skills. This module was also effective in raising students' awareness of the importance of evidence-based clinical practice. It is essential to establish the fundamentals of evidence-based practice during the undergraduate curriculum to assist dental students in learning the skills to practice evidence-based dentistry.

Prevalence of dental caries among 7- and 13-year-old First Nations children, District of Manitoulin, Ontario.

PURPOSE: Dental caries is a disease that, although decreasing in the non-Aboriginal child population, remains high for Canadian Aboriginal and Native American children and adolescents. To address dental health issues in First Nations in the District of Manitoulin, Noojmowin Teg Health Centre initiated a multiphase collaborative research project with the department of community dentistry at the University of Toronto. The purpose of this paper was to identify the prevalence of dental caries in children 7 or 13 years of age and to compare these data with published data for the same age groups from other First Nations communities in Canada. METHODS: All children 7 or 13 years of age who were in elementary schools on a reserve in 7 First Nations communities were eligible for a dental health examination as part of the survey. Children attending school off the reserve in 6 of the communities were also eligible. RESULTS: A total of 66 children (56% 7-year-old children, 62% girls) were examined. The mean caries score (deft+ DMFT) for 7-year-old children was 6.2; the mean decayed, extracted, filled permanent teeth (DMFT) score for 13-year-old children was 4.1. Overall, 96% of children had 1 or more past or active carious lesion. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that dental caries is highly prevalent and increasing in severity in this population.