Keeping current: a commitment to patient care excellence through evidence based practice.

The desire to improve the oral health of clients begins with the hygienist's commitment to keeping current with useful scientific knowledge. The challenge is mastering the skills to discriminate between the many claims and what actually has been shown to be effective. One approach is through evidence-based decision-making (EBDM), which helps practitioners find relevant clinical evidence when it is needed for treatment decisions and for answering client questions. The purpose of this article is to discuss EBDM and its use in practice, potential challenges, future developments and resources that will assist in keeping current.