Grading the Quality of Evidence and the Strength of Recommendations in Clinical Dentistry: A Critical Review of 2 Prominent Approaches

Assessment of endpoints in studies on peri-implantitis treatment—A systematic review

“…42,43,45 A system that assesses the quality of evidence and the strength of a recommendation advise that surrogate endpoints generate only weak recommendations whereas true endpoints are a pre-requirement for a strong recommendation. 42 Assessment of the ''real effect'' of therapy is particularly important when complex interventions and expensive materials are used.…”

Strength of recommendation for single‐visit root canal treatment: grading the body of the evidence using a patient‐centred approach

“…). The use of a system for grading the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations is urgently needed due to the great heterogeneity of the quality and type of evidence pertaining to many dental procedures (Faggion ).…”

“…). SORT is undeniably a user‐friendly grade system, because there are no complex variables to be considered that determine the strength of a recommendation of a given treatment option (Faggion ). In evidence‐based times, it is critical to bear in mind that adherence to a well‐established scientific protocol is what discriminates a high‐level specialist from the general practitioner.…”

“…Within this framework, the simplicity of SORT's grading system is a welcome feature and can be regarded as a consequence of the major dichotomization proposed by the system into disease‐oriented or patient‐oriented evidence (Ebell et al . , Faggion ). In other words, SORT aims to go from evidence to clinical recommendation through the use of a streamlined rating system.…”

“…Disease‐oriented evidence (DOE) includes intermediate, histopathologic, physiologic or surrogate results, such as probing depth reduction and radiographic changes in bone density, which may or may not reflect real improvement in patient outcomes (Ebell et al . , Faggion ).…”