Decision making in dentistry. Part II: Clinical applications of decision methods

The study of clinical decision making provides a common model on which to base dental practice and thus promotes standardization of care and treatment. Decision analysis can assist in identifying missing data in clinical problems and thus generate clinically relevant research agendas. Part II reviews the current literature focusing on three areas of decision making in dentistry: diagnosis, treatment planning, and disease prediction. The growing body of literature indicates that wide variation exists among the treatment plans made by dentists. Considerable bias arises from many sources of uncertainty in decision making, including the limitations of human memory and judgment. Literature pertaining to computer application of decision analysis in dentistry and to policy making are reviewed.