Important Resources to Guide your Clinical Practice
Written by Dr. Jonathan Josephs 10/5/2023
Whereas in the past, printed clinical survival guides and other hard-copy resources were invaluable, now general dentists can use the internet to access resources to support their clinical practice. Here are a few of the resources that I use the most and have saved to my desktop.
Over Labor day weekend I had a friend call me because he fell on a paver while playing drunk football. The emergency room took care of his facial lacerations, but he still needed to follow up with me for the care of his dental injuries. He suffered an alveolar fracture and extruded tooth. His course of treatment was largely based on the following American Association of Endodontists Trauma Guide:
https://www.aae.org/specialty/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/19_TraumaGuidelines.pdf
For patients that are on bone modifying agents for the treatment of cancer or osteoporosis, I reference the AAOMS Position Paper on MRONJ:
https://www.aaoms.org/practice-resources/aaoms-advocacy-and-position-statements/white-papers
For dental emergencies and dental infections, I consult the following ADA Antibiotic Algorithm for Pain and Swelling:
When deciding which pain medication to prescribe following a surgical procedure I recommend consulting the ADA guide to Analgesics for Dental Pain, which emphasizes the efficacy of combining Tylenol with Advil to rival the efficacy of some Opioid analgesics:
This next resource is for general dentists who perform orthodontic therapy, and would like to familiarize themselves with current studies that support contemporary orthodontic theory. These resources will not make you an orthodontist, but by reviewing the studies the American Board of Orthodontics exam draws from you can become familiar with a broader understanding of orthodontics. One study in particular reveals that clear aligner therapy more predictably facilitates tipping over bodily movements.
Journal Articles from the reading list for the 2024 American Board of Orthodontics written exam:
These last resources are also saved either to my web browser tab or desktop for quick reference:
American Academy of Periodontology Perio Classification Resources
ADA radiography guidelines
ADA antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines
More ADA evidence based guidelines can be found under at this link under oral health topics:
https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-topics
These are the resources I use the most, and I hope they help you to make confident clinical decisions in your practice.
Written by Dr Jonathan Josephs 10/5/2023