Integrating Evidence-Based Practice Into Oral Health Clinical Practice: Students' Perspectives

Evidence-based practice (EBP) provides an approach to oral health care that incorporates a structured process of systematically reviewing and critically appraising scientific evidence to answer specific clinical questions. The need to integrate EBP concepts into the undergraduate oral health curriculum is evident as the profession transitions into using research evidence to make informed clinical decisions. The didactic component provides an overview of the theory, and the application component offers opportunities to incorporate valid scientific evidence into clinical practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate undergraduate oral health students' perspectives on integrating EBP into clinical practice in the Bachelor of Oral Health program at the University of Sydney (BOH Sydney).

A structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was designed to align with the course-specific outcomes. It focused on knowledge and understanding of EBP, the process of accessing evidence, students' confidence in critical appraisal skills, and clinical application. Sixty-two (97%) undergraduate oral health students from 2-year cohorts participated in the survey.

All students agreed that EBP influenced their clinical decision. Over 90% of students agreed that EBP should be an integral part of clinical practice. Eighty percent of students reported they were confident in EBP application. There is a significant positive correlation between teaching EBP in clinical practice and students' perceived confidence in the EBP process.

Clinical educators are instrumental in providing guidance and support to oral health students' learning of EBP. The evaluation supported integrating EBP into clinical practice but revealed some issues with implementation in this study.