THE IMPORTANCE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY IN ORAL HEALTH RESEARCH

Abstract

The interest in clinical epidemiology has increased considerably lately, and the application of epidemiological methods in the clinical activity is an aspect that takes into account the medical staff, as well as hospital managers and political makers. Assessment of a population health status requires the use of descriptive epidemiological studies, which allow evaluation of the prevalence of a disease, or of analytical studies, which are more complex and allow evaluation of the causal relationship between the disease and the risk factors. Moreover, clinical trials, the only experimental epidemiological studies, when well conducted and structured, can lead to the emergence of new drugs, dental materials or curative interventions, more efficient and possibly at reasonable costs.

Keywords

• epidemiology
• oral health.
• population research