Scientific evidence in clinical decision making by dentists: a qualitative study in Peru

Ucañan-Guevara S.T.; Cruzado-Oliva F.H.; Coronel-Zubiate F.T. · Journal of International Dental and Medical Research (2025)

Resumen

Evidence-based dentistry aims to enhance healthcare quality by guiding clinical decisions with recent research and the best available evidence. Determine the use of scientific evidence in the clinical decision-making of dentists in the La Libertad region of Peru. Licensed, actively practicing dentists were surveyed. The survey comprised 20 questions assessing whether dentists had ever modified their clinical care protocols based on scientific evidence and examined associations with demographic, work, and educational factors. Data were analyzed descriptively, and the Chi-square statistical method (α = 0.05) was employed to observe associations with these factors. A total of 502 dentists participated in the survey, of whom 56.6% were male, 73.1% were aged between 22 and 40 years, 91.4% were engaged in clinical activities, and 19.5% held a specialty. Notably, 87% of dentists utilized scientific evidence in their clinical procedures, primarily relying on scientific articles from clinical trials and case reports. Conversely, those who did not use scientific evidence cited reasons such as the perception that scientific articles do not reflect clinical reality (44.1%) or that they do not read scientific journals (22.1%). The use of scientific evidence in clinical decision-making is significantly associated with the age and work sector of dentists.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Trujillo; Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas