Quality management in oral health care

Abstract

Modern dentistry relies on the delivery of care through an evidence-based approach. But what if the evidence is poor, or lacking? In the different clinical contexts of dentistry there is a struggle with a lack of parameters to define quality assurance and quality control, and it becomes the duty of the practitioner to deliver a high standard of care that meet their own levels of acceptability which is governed by personal ethics, laws, policies and principles. The evidence used in such a scenario is largely empirical. The importance of this is further highlighted by increasing costs and demand for oral healthcare that drives innovation towards efficacy and quality of care. The question therefore arises: How do we define quality management within our own reference frame? Unfortunately, there is a paucity of literature to provide information regarding the application of quality management in the dental setting as the available material almost always refers to medical practices.