abstract
- BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW: Questions regarding harm are common in dental practice. Observational, nonrandomized studies (that is, cohort studies and case-control studies) are the designs used by investigators to answer most of these questions. A critical appraisal of these studies should include an assessment of the risk of bias, the results, and the applicability of the study. The authors provide the concepts and guidelines that dentists can apply to most effectively use articles regarding harm to guide their clinical practice. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dentists who wish to inform their clinical decisions regarding questions of harm can use these guidelines to decide what type of studies to search, define the specific question of interest to search efficiently for these studies, and critically appraise an article about harm.