Evaluation of clinical trials of agents and procedures to prevent caries and periodontal disease: choosing products and recommending procedures.

The prevention of caries, gingivitis and periodontal diseases has been, and still is, a major objective for the dental profession. A large number of products are available to the general public, either over the counter or on prescription, formulated to prevent these diseases. Formulations are also used by professionals for the prevention and treatment of dental diseases. In recommending or using agents for prevention or therapy it is necessary for the practitioner to appreciate whether proof of efficacy is established. Preventive or therapeutic roles of formulations are frequently confused and there is a need to define the often misleading terminology used to describe products. Guidelines are required to enable the dental professional to understand research data and what constitutes proof of efficacy for preventive and/or therapeutic formulations. The guidelines should describe the research methodologies used today, including study design and analysis, ethics, the format of research papers and the relevance of laboratory data to clinical efficacy.