Research in Dental Practice: A ‘SWOT’ Analysis

From Volume 29, Issue 2, March 2002 | Pages 80-87

Authors

F.J.T. Burke

DDS, MSc, MDS, MGDS, FDS RCS(Edin.), FDS RCS, FADM

Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, Glasgow

Articles by F.J.T. Burke

R.J. Crisp

BDS DGDP(UK)

Primary Dental Care Research Group, The University of Birmingham School of Dentistry

Articles by R.J. Crisp

J.F. McCord

BDS, DDS, FDS DRD, RCS(Edin.), FDS RCS(Eng.), CBiol, MIBiol

Professor of Restorative Care of the Elderly, University Dental Hospital of Manchester

Articles by J.F. McCord

Abstract

Most dental treatment, in most countries, is carried out in general dental practice. There is therefore a potential wealth of research material, although clinical evaluations have generally been carried out on hospital-based patients. Many types of research, such as clinical evaluations and assessments of new materials, may be appropriate to dental practice. Principal problems are that dental practices are established to treat patients efficiently and to provide an income for the staff of the practice. Time spent on research therefore cannot be used for patient treatment, so there are cost implications. Critics of practice-based research have commented on the lack of calibration of operative diagnoses and other variables; however, this variability is the stuff of dental practice, the real-world situation. Many of the difficulties in carrying out research in dental practice may be overcome. For the enlightened, it may be possible to turn observations based on the volume of treatment carried out in practice into robust, clinically related and relevant research projects based in the real world of dental practice.

Article

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