“How to Make Evidence Based Dentistry Relevant: AHI and Anterior Midpoints In Pain Management and Sleep” 

Description:

Evidence-based medicine and dentistry are often considered problematic for many reasons. Evidenced-based concepts have been misused by healthcare practitioners, lecturers, and by third-party payers, thus giving the concept a negative connotation. However, not using evidence and treating based on the issue of clinical experience alone, leads to inappropriate and inaccurate assumptions of mechanisms, overzealous belief in systems, high level inappropriate expectations, and treatment agendas that remain stagnant because of the belief system that has been created. We will review exactly what Sackett, the father of evidence-based medicine, described and how, when applied appropriately, we can use evidence-based medicine to help us in our diagnosis and treatment and continue to grow and adapt as more information becomes available to us through quality research. We will show examples of myths and facts using the role of AHI is sleep medicine and the use of anterior midpoint stops in sleep and pain as examples.

Learning Objectives:

1. To identify the comprehensive components of evidence-based medicine as originally written by Sackett
2. To apply evidence-based concepts in the process of the diagnostic process as well as treatment decision-making.
3. To appreciate the importance of the ability to determine quality evidence that will then be used in the all-important risk-benefit treatment decision-making process.