Table 4.
Dentists’ utilization of information sources for practice guidance, by number and percentage
| Extent of Influencea | Frequency of Useb | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
| Information Source | Number | Some Influence | Most Influence | Number | Sometimes | Quite Frequently |
| Printed peer-reviewed journals | 941 | 423 (45%) | 451 (48%) | 943 | 444 (47%) | 373 (40%) |
| Printed non-peer-reviewed sources | 938 | 386 (41%) | 14 (1%) | 940 | 339 (36%) | 71 (8%) |
| Online CDE | 928 | 327 (35%) | 34 (4%) | 938 | 220 (23%) | 32 (3%) |
| Online chatrooms or other interactive online services | 927 | 156 (17%) | 22 (2%) | 938 | 103 (11%) | 23 (3%) |
| Informal conversation with colleagues | 933 | 578 (62%) | 260 (28%) | 940 | 528 (56%) | 262 (28%) |
| Study or journal clubs | 926 | 332 (36%) | 327 (35%) | 938 | 304 (32%) | 227 (24%) |
| State or local dental meetings | 938 | 355 (38%) | 486 (52%) | 940 | 411 (44%) | 353 (38%) |
| National dental meetings | 933 | 344 (37%) | 374 (40%) | 939 | 347 (37%) | 199 (21%) |
| Symposiums or other offerings by a school of dentistry | 931 | 355 (38%) | 454 (49%) | 937 | 392 (42%) | 234 (25%) |
| Symposiums or other offerings by a private institute or organization | 930 | 311 (33%) | 315 (34%) | 940 | 283 (30%) | 170 (18%) |
a
Extent of Influence scale: 1=little influence, 2=some influence, 3=most influence.
b
Frequency of use scale: 1=never, 2=rarely (<10% of when available or 1–6 times per year), 3=sometimes (10–50% of when available or 1–6 times per year), 4=quite frequently or every time available (>50% of when available or >6 times per year).