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How to appraise the literature: basic principles for the busy clinician - part 1: randomised controlled trials

British Dental Journal volume 232, pages 475–481 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Critical appraisal is the process of carefully, judiciously and systematically examining research to adjudicate its trustworthiness and its value and relevance in clinical practice. The first part of this two-part series will discuss the principles of critically appraising randomised controlled trials. The second part will discuss the principles of critically appraising systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Evidence-based dentistry (EBD) is the integration of the dentist's clinical expertise, the patient's needs and preferences and the most current, clinically relevant evidence. Critical appraisal of the literature is an invaluable and indispensable skill that dentists should possess to help them deliver EBD.

This article seeks to act as a refresher and guide for generalists, specialists and the wider readership, so that they can efficiently and confidently appraise research - specifically, randomised controlled trials - that may be pertinent to their daily clinical practice.

Key points

  • Evidence-based dentistry is discussed.

  • Efficient techniques for critically appraising randomised controlled trials are described.

  • Important methodological and statistical considerations are explicated.

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References

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  4. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. CASP Checklist. Available at https://casp-uk.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/CASP-Randomised-Controlled-Trial-Checklist-2018.pdf (accessed April 2021).

  5. Schulz K F, Altman D G, Moher D, CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomized trials. Ann Int Med 2010; 152: 726-732.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Senior Registrar in Orthodontics, The Royal London Hospital Barts Health NHS Trust and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

    Aslam Alkadhimi

  2. Dental Core Trainee, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, UK

    Samuel Reeves

  3. Consultant Orthodontist, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, UK

    Andrew T. DiBiase

Authors
  1. Aslam Alkadhimi
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  2. Samuel Reeves
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  3. Andrew T. DiBiase
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Contributions

Aslam Alkadhimi contributed to conceptualisation, literature search, original draft preparation and drafting and critically revising the manuscript; Samuel Reeves contributed to original draft preparation and editing; and Andrew DiBiase contributed to supervision, draft editing and critically revising the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aslam Alkadhimi.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval and consent to participate did not apply to this study.

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Cite this article

Alkadhimi, A., Reeves, S. & DiBiase, A. How to appraise the literature: basic principles for the busy clinician - part 1: randomised controlled trials. Br Dent J 232, 475–481 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-4096-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-022-4096-y

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