Continuing professional development of dental practitioners in Prato, Italy

The three objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the frequency of access to instruments of continuing education by dental practitioners belonging to the Order of Dental Practitioners of the Province of Prato, Italy; 2) to ascertain their understanding and use of evidence-based medicine; and 3) to identify their preferences for obtaining continuing education in dental therapy. Of the 177 members of this order, 123 (69 percent) responded to a telephone interview. The typical dentist of Prato reads articles in Italian journals once a week, consults colleagues once a week, reads books once a month, accesses the Internet every three months, goes to congresses or courses every six months, and does not read articles published in international journals. Forty-one percent of those interviewed did not know the meaning of the term "evidence-based medicine." Practical training was considered the most important form of update in therapy and reaches statistical significance (p<0.05) when compared to consultation with colleagues, videos, and the Internet (which received the lowest score). The conclusions were that dentists of Prato obtain continuing education episodically and in a passive way. They do not understand the concept of evidence-based medicine and often employ it superficially.