BMC Oral Health has published this Collection on Patient-reported outcomes in dentistry.
In recent years, the implementation of tools to record patient-reported outcomes (PRO) alongside traditional clinical data in healthcare research has been increasingly recommended by international research bodies, funders, and policymakers. Patient and caregiver perspectives on their individual experiences of clinical care and the effect of interventions on their health and well-being not only provides real-world evidence of how effective an intervention is, but also facilitates better communication between healthcare providers and patients enabling the design of tailored healthcare strategies and new healthcare policies that improves patient outcomes.
In dental research, patient-reported outcomes are an essential tool for evaluating the suitability of a wide range of treatments in the dental clinic, including surgical procedures, biomaterials, and also prevention strategies that reduce the risk of poor oral health. With the World Health Organization recognizing the burden that oral health has on health care services worldwide, and the increased evidence linking oral health to overall health and well-being, obtaining the patient perspective on dental healthcare appears of increasing importance in the of support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good-Health and Wellbeing and 10: Reduced Inequalities.
In response, in this new Collection BMC Oral Health welcomed submissions in all research related to the reporting of patient outcomes in dentistry and in the management of oral health. This included, but was not limited to, research related to:
- Patient, caregiver and family perspectives on preventative strategies and interventions for managing oral health care
- Patient-reported outcomes and measures used as real-world evidence for interventions for managing oral health
- Oral health-related quality of life
- Tailored strategies to manage oral health based on patient-reported outcomes both at a healthcare provider and policymaker level
- Development and validation of patient-reported outcome measures for oral health
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