CHICAGO--The American Dental Association's "Evidenced-Based Clinical Recommendations for Professionally Applied Topical Fluoride" have been accepted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The acceptance results in increased accessibility for the ADA clinical recommendations through AHRQ's National Guideline Clearinghouse Web site at www.guidelines.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id=10199&nbr=005383&string=fluoride).
According to the NGC, their mission is to provide a comprehensive database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related documents to further their dissemination, implementation and use.
The topical fluoride recommendations are the first clinical recommendations developed by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs using a comprehensive evidence-based dentistry approach.
EBD, according to the ADA, is "an approach to oral health care that requires the judicious integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence, relating to the patient's oral and medical condition and history, with the dentist's clinical expertise and the patient's treatment needs and preferences."
The ADA clinical recommendations for professionally applied topical fluoride serve as a chairside reference for patient care that are intended to make it much easier for dentists to use the most current scientific evidence in clinical decision making.
The recommendations are available at www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/jada/reports/report_fluoride_exec.pdf.
The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs expects to develop additional recommendations in key clinical areas using an evidence-based approach.
For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at American Dental Association.
