Evidence-Based Orthodontics

GREG J. HUANG, DMD, MSD, MPH, Editor
STEPHEN RICHMOND, BDS, DOrth RCS, MScD, FDSRCS, PhD, FHEA, Editor
KATHERINE W.L. VIG, BDS, MS, DOrth RCS, FDSRCS, Editor

2nd edition. 288 pages. $99. 2018.

Wiley Blackwell, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875.
(800) 225-5945; www.wiley.com.

The evidence-based decision-making (EBDM) philosophy has swept scientific thought and literature over the past three decades. In reality, though, most clinicians and scientists have instinctively been using an evidence-based decision algorithm since the days of the mystical shaman healers. JCO’s Founding Editor, Dr. Eugene Gottlieb, preferred the term “experience-based,” recognizing that almost any practitioner develops better decision-making capabilities as his or her level of experience expands. Still, I have no doubt that a full exploration of the available evidence in any area, including orthodontics, will enhance such experience when it comes to clinical decision-making. And when a doctor is faced with a totally new situation, a thorough understanding of the available literature and evidence becomes indispensable.

Evidence-based literature has certainly flourished, to the point that nearly every health-care discipline has produced books dedicated to EBDM: Evidence-Based Physical Diagnosis, Evidence-Based Endocrinology, even Evidence-Based Practice for Social Workers. The orthodontic specialty joined in with one of the best tomes on the subject, the first edition of Evidence-Based Orthodontics by Drs. Greg Huang, Stephen Richmond, and Katherine Vig. That book was well written and illustrated, explaining the logic, sequencing, and application of the EBDM process (which the authors call EBO) to everyday clinical practice.

The book’s second edition is an improvement over an already excellent work. Like the first edition, this is an essential guide to EBDM as specifically applied to orthodontics. Clearly written in easily understandable prose, the book would be of value to any practitioner, and I would consider it required reading for orthodontic students and residents. Two thumbs up, highly recommended.

ROBERT G. KEIM, DDS, EdD, PhD