Evidence-based decision making by undergraduate dental students - Teaching proposal and student´s perception

Abstract

Aim: Ever since Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD) has become the paradigm for qualified dental care, teaching its fundamentals to undergraduate students became a need and a challenge. This study presents a component proposal that addresses the clinical decision-making process based on EBD foundations and the student´s perception of it. Methods: The component was equally divided into an instrumentalization phase and a seminar phase. The former was used to address the context of EBD, its rationale and its tools. Instrumentalization focused on teaching students to search for and critically appraise evidence provided by systematic reviews of interventions. The seminar phase implied the application of these concepts in the solving of fictitious clinical cases. A cross-sectional design was conceived after the ending of the component, so the students could assess the component. The results were analyzed descriptively. Results: A component aiding at teaching decision-making processes based on EBD foundations was proposed. In general, the component was well assessed by the students, with more than 90% considering it good or very good. The moment it was offered, in the end of the course, was considered an important limitation. Conclusion: An undergraduate teaching proposal of EBD was presented and well assessed by the students. Raising the awareness of the undergraduate dental course as a whole is necessary to fully implement an EBD proposal and develop the required attitudes, knowledge and skills in dental students for a critical, evidence-based decision-making process.