The Journal of the American Dental Association
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J Am Dent Assoc, Vol 140, No 1, 48-54.
© 2009 American Dental Association
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CLINICAL PRACTICE

JADA Continuing Education

The clinician’s guide to the literature

Interpreting results



Barbara L. Greenberg, MSc, PhD and Mel L. Kantor, DDS, MPH, PhD

Background. Oral health care professionals must have up-to-date information to guide clinical practice. The peer-reviewed literature contains the most reliable and current information. The clinical research literature relies on statistical analysis of data to make inferences and draw conclusions. In this article, the authors explore the fundamental principles that underlie statistical testing.

Conclusions and Practice Implications. Having the fundamental tools to critically interpret the results presented in the literature is one of the essential elements for appropriately translating clinical research into practice.

Key Words: Variability; hypothesis testing; statistical interpretation; confidence intervals; sample size

Abbreviations: N: Noise. • S: Signal.






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