evidence

The Evidence Base for Third Molar (Wisdom Teeth) Decisions

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An excellent editorial appears in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the August 2012 edition titled “Those Who Ignore the Evidence Are Doomed to Misuse It” by Dr. Thomas B. Dodson (70, pages 1765-1767). Dr. Dodson explains how the debate regarding whether or not to either 1) remove asymptomatic, disease-free third molars, or 2) retain asymptomatic, disease-free third molars has become highly controversial. He argues that there are an assortment of viewpoints that play a role here. A) Payer-based clinical decision making: “The payer is the invisible hand in the operatory, influencing the treatment plan with a bold line that determines whether a service is covered or not. With PBCD, there is little regard or sympathy for what the OMS perceives about the individual patients and their circumstances. Thus, PBCD risks moral hazard by pre-empting services that the … Read more

What is Science Up to?

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A hilarious piece aired on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart back in October 26, 2011 titled “Science: What’s It Up To?” In the segment Aasif Mandvi sits down with Republican Strategist Noelle Nikpour She says “Scientists are scamming the American people right and left for their own financial gain.” Aasif Mandvi comments “Why are surgeons the only ones allowed to perform surgeries and other surgeons are the only ones who get to say whether this surgery is necessary or not? Doesn’t make any sense. And the only other people that can check to make sure that they are not manipulating ….are other scientists.” Dr. Martin Chalfie later comments “All that we do in science is subjected to peer review.” Of course the issue as pointed it in the segment is that the peers are other scientists like them. Watch … Read more