A closer look at diagnosis in clinical dental practice: part 1. Reliability, validity, specificity and sensitivity of diagnostic procedures.

摘要: Dentists are involved in diagnosing disease every aspect of their clinical practice. A range tests, systems, guides and equipment--which can be generally referred to as diagnostic procedures--are available aid decision making. In this era evidence-based dentistry, given the increasing demand for accuracy properly targeted health care, it is important assess value such procedures. Doing so allows dentists weight appropriately information these procedures supply, purchase new equipment if proves more reliable than existing or even discard a commonly used procedure shown unreliable. This article, first 6-part series, defines several concepts express usefulness procedures, including reliability validity, describes some operating characteristics (statistical measures performance), particular, specificity sensitivity. Subsequent articles series will discuss daily dental practice compare today's most innovative with established methods.