Toward defining dentists' evidence-based practice: influence of decade of dental school graduation and scope of practice on implementation and perceived obstacles.

Academic dental institutions today seek to provide curricular content and learning opportunities for students to develop an essential skill set for evidence-based practice. To support that effort, studies that explore current practice patterns are valuable in identifying factors that influence the evidence-based habits and behaviors of dental school graduates. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, perceptions, and behavior of private practice dentists in the state of Iowa with respect to evidence-based dentistry and to determine the influence of the dentist's education and the scope of his or her practice on those opinions and habits. A questionnaire addressing practitioners' familiarity with, understanding of, and adoption of an evidence-based philosophy of practice was mailed in September 2009 to all dentists licensed and practicing in Iowa. Questionnaires were returned by 518 practitioners, for an overall response rate of 38.4 percent. The majority of respondents reported awareness, understanding, and adoption of an evidence-based approach to their practice of dentistry. Recent graduates were more likely to report insufficient time as the primary obstacle to practicing evidence-based dentistry. Dental specialists indicated a higher level of comfort in assessing scientific information, as well as implementing current reliable, valid published research in practice, than did general practitioners.