PEARL Network Dentist
PEARL network dentist is a dentist that participates in research in private practice through the national organization.
What is a PEARL network dentist?
First of all, PEARL stands for Practitioners Engaged in Applied Research and Learning and that is a good definition as well. The dentists that are in the PEARL network have patients that are active participants in ongoing dental research.
What dental research has a PEARL network dentist possibly been involved in?
The research that any one dentist does varies from office to office, because not every dentist or office is capable of or has an interest in every topic. Therefore the dentist is able to choose what research they want to participate in. A full list of all the studies that the PEARL network has published is found here.
An example of the scope of some of the research that we do….
Thank you for your participation in the clinical phase of the Successful Crowns study. With the help of our coordinators and National PBRN team — and with your dedication to the study — we continue to collect data for single-unit crowns.
A total of 205 PEARL network dentists participate in the study and there are 3,855 patients, which is a tremendous sample size. Since there is such a large sample size we will therefore have excellent information on what makes a successful crown. Furthermore, we also have a strong showing from our laboratories, with over 90% of laboratories actively participating, which is an incredibly high number. To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale study to include both laboratory and dentists assessments in the same study.
In conclusion, below is some research from the PEARL network that we are helping with.
Impression techniques used for single-unit crowns: Findings from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.