Evidence-based dentistry is a process of life-long, self-directed learning in which caring for patients creates the need for clinically important information about diagnosis, therapy and other clinical and health issues and in which practitioners can convert these information needs into answerable questions; can track down with minimum efficiency the best evidence to answer them; clinically appraise that evidence for its validity and usefulness and then be able to integrate the results of this appraisal with their clinical expertise and apply the result in clinical practice.