Introduction to Critical Appraisal: Making Evidence Work in Clinical Practice (DCT 2026-27-02)

Mandatory: DCT

To equip Dental Core Trainees with the practical skills and confidence to find, critically appraise and apply research evidence to everyday clinical decisions, enabling them to critically evaluate clinical claims, evaluate emerging treatments and deliver evidence-based, patient-centred care.

Through interactive clinical scenarios, group discussions and practical appraisal exercises, delegates will:

1. Examine how evidence-based dentistry informs everyday clinical decisions, including treatment selection, patient counselling and the interpretation of clinical guidelines.

2. Formulate focused clinical questions using the PICO framework and identify appropriate research evidence to address common clinical dilemmas.

3. Critically appraise published dental research, including randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews, using structured appraisal tools to assess methodological quality, potential bias and reliability of findings.

4. Interpret key research outcomes, including measures of treatment effectiveness, statistical significance and clinical importance, to determine whether findings are meaningful for patients.

5. Apply research evidence to realistic clinical scenarios, integrating study findings with clinical expertise, patient preferences and individual circumstances to justify management decisions.

6. Identify opportunities to use critical appraisal skills in journal clubs, clinical governance, quality improvement and professional development, including preparation for specialty training.

By the end of the workshop, delegates will be able to:

1. Formulate a focused clinical question using the PICO framework and identify an appropriate source of research evidence.

2. Recognise common research study designs and select an appropriate critical appraisal tool for a given paper.

3. Critically appraise a published dental research study, identifying at least two methodological strengths or limitations that influence confidence in its findings.

4. Interpret key research results, distinguishing between statistical significance, clinical importance and the applicability of findings to an individual patient.

5. Apply research evidence to a clinical case, justifying a management recommendation while considering uncertainty, patient preferences and clinical circumstances.

6. Identify an opportunity to use critical appraisal within their own clinical practice, professional development or DCT portfolio.