Making Decisions is one of the most crucial aspects of dentistry. We would like all our decisions to be fast, correct and efficient. Using computers can help you do that in a variety of ways, for instance through literature databases; passive decision support resources; email; discussion lists and newsgroups; and teledentistry. This chapter will also help you search the Internet and find relevant documents quickly (if they exist).

Making Decisions will include the following chapters:

Literature databases
- MEDLINE
- MEDLINE Plus

Clinical information on the Internet
- online oral pathology databases
- Information about dental materials
- Clinical guidelines (EBD)
- Active decision support systems

Searching for information
- Why you can't find everything on the Internet
- Search engines and their strengths and weaknesses
- Search strategies
- Portals
- Examples of clinical questions and answers

Talking to colleagues
- Electronic communication with colleagues you know
- Dental Internet discussion lists and message boards

Teledentistry
- "Grass-roots" teledentistry
- Advanced teledental applications