Evidence-based prosthodontics: fundamental considerations, limitations, and guidelines.

Evidence-based dentistry is rapidly emerging to become an integral part of patient care, dental education, and research. Prosthodontics is a unique dental specialty that encompasses art, philosophy, and science and includes reversible and irreversible treatments. It not only affords good applicability of many principles of evidence-based dentistry but also poses numerous limitations. This article describes the epidemiologic background, fundamental considerations, scrutiny of levels of evidence, limitations, guidelines, and future perspectives of evidence-based prosthodontics. Understanding these principles can aid clinicians in appropriate appraisal of the prosthodontics literature and use the best available evidence for making confident clinical decisions and optimizing patient care.