Evidence-based periodontal regenerative therapy.
Periodontal health care has progressed into a new era. It is distinguished by a rapidly expanding volume of literature, rapid influx of new technologies, and need for new skills to perform increasingly complex procedures. Correspondingly, practice management changes are required to adapt to the extensive follow-up care associated with some of these new treatments. This must be accomplished while also acknowledging the deepening concern for escalating costs and increased attention to the quality of care provided. As with most change, clinicians can fight it by continuing to rely on old ways of doing things and hope to keep these issues at bay, but history would say they are unlikely to succeed. Instead, clinicians can embrace these changes and adapt to them by adding new tools, such as evidence-based methodology, to their armamentarium. The evidence-based approach offers a "bridge" from science to clinical practice. It can strengthen the foundation by providing a framework for integrating patient preferences, scientific knowledge, clinical judgment, and personal experience. By adapting the way treatment decisions are made in daily practice to an evidence-based approach, clinicians can deliver the highest quality care to their patients and be in better control of their own destiny. These new challenges can be perceived as problems or as opportunities--it is a choice!