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Clinical practice guidelines are the strongest resources to aid dental professionals in clinical decision making and help incorporate evidence gained through scientific investigation into patient care. Guidelines include recommendation statements intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options.
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs presents clinical recommendations concerning the use of antibiotics for the urgent management of pulpal- and periapical-related dental pain and intra-oral swelling.
View Antibiotics Guideline
This guideline updates the 1997 recommendations by the American Heart Association for the prevention of infective endocarditis (IE). The committee concluded that IE prophylaxis for dental procedures should be recommended only for patients with underlying cardiac conditions associated with the highest risk of adverse outcomes from IE.
View Infective Endocarditis Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs updates and clarifies the clinical recommendations found in the 2013 evidence-based guideline "Prevention of Orthopaedic Implant Infection in Patients Undergoing Dental Procedures."
View Antibiotic Prophylaxis Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs presents a series of four guidelines with recommendations to enhance clinical decision making at each stage of the caries disease process. The four guidelines cover nonrestorative caries treatments, caries prevention, restorative caries treatments, and caries detection and diagnosis.
View Caries Management Guidelines
The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs met with stakeholders to discuss differing public messaging on the use of fluoride toothpaste for young children. The participants agreed that a unified recommendation on the use of fluoride toothpaste for young children would be preferable and less confusing to the public.
View Fluoride Toothpaste for Young Children Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs addresses several questions regarding the efficacy of non-fluoride agents in reducing the incidence of caries and arresting or reversing the progression of caries.
View Non-fluoride Caries Preventive Agents Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs presents an evidence-based clinical practice guideline on evaluating patients for oral cancer. The goal of this 2017 clinical practice guideline is to inform clinicians about the potential use of adjuncts as triage tools for the evaluation of lesions, including potentially malignant disorders, in the oral cavity.
View Oral Cancer Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs presents an evidence-based clinical practice guideline and systematic review on nonsurgical treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis by means of scaling and root planing (SRP) with or without adjuncts.
View Periodontitis Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs presents an evidence-based clinical practice guideline and systematic review for the use of pit-and-fissure sealants.
View Sealants Guideline
A panel of experts convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs assesses the efficacy of various topical fluoride caries-preventive agents, including mouthrinses, varnishes, gels, foams, and pastes in this 2013 evidence-based clinical practice guideline.
View Topical Fluoride Guideline
A list is provided of clinical practice guidelines previously published by the ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry that are now outdated.
View Archive of Retired ADA Guidelines
View EBD evidence
Translating Research Into Practice: Search the Trip Database to find and use high-quality clinical research evidence.