Minervation has teamed up with the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme to produce Management of Acute Dental Problems.
This evidence-based decision aid is for non-dental health professionals who are advising patients with oral health problems.
By selecting the patient’s symptoms, the system directs users towards the recommended care.
It also provides detailed background information about conditions that are the most likely causes of symptoms, along with further recommendations for management.
The application is based on relevant clinical evidence and validated clinical practice guidelines. It has been developed in partnership with its intended users. The full text of the guidance can be accessed directly from the SDCEP website.
In implementing the application, we aimed for a simple, HTML-based solution that would work on as many platforms as possible. A mobile version has been provided for use with smartphones, and a response history function is available for users whose browsers support JavaScript.
We have also tested an offline version which can be downloaded and run locally. This will be subject to further refinement focusing on version control.
The Centre for Evidence-Based Dentistry website is a great starting point for anyone with an interest in learning more about evidence-based dentistry. It features a simple set of pages that will help professionals practice dentistry in a more evidence-based way, as well as more detailed pages aimed as researchers and teachers.