Evidence-Based Dentistry & Statistics for ORE Part 1
High-yield guide to evidence hierarchies, p-values, sensitivity/specificity, Odds Ratios, NNT, and Chi-Square statistical tests.
Key Syllabus Concepts Tested in Evidence-Based Dentistry & Statistics
- Level 1a Evidence: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
- Diagnostic metrics: Sensitivity (true positive rate) vs Specificity (true negative rate)
- Statistical metrics: p-value < 0.05, 95% Confidence Intervals excluding 1.0, and NNT (1 / ARR)
- Study design statistics: Odds Ratio (OR) in case-control studies and Chi-Square test for categorical data
Sample SBA Practice Questions
Sample Question 1 (Paper B)
Which study design provides the highest level of evidence for evaluating the effectiveness of a clinical intervention in dental research?
- Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Systematic review of prospective cohort studies without meta-analysis
- Single large multicentre double-blind randomised controlled trial
- Large prospective cohort study with ten-year clinical follow-up
✅ Correct Answer: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Explanation: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of well-conducted RCTs represent Level 1a top-tier evidence in hierarchy.
Clinical Pearl: Systematic reviews & meta-analyses of RCTs provide Level 1a highest evidence.
Sample Question 2 (Paper B)
In clinical trials, what does a p-value of < 0.05 signify?
- There is less than a 5% probability that the observed difference arose by chance alone
- There is less than a 5% chance that the result would fail to replicate
- There is more than a 95% probability that the treatment hypothesis is true
- The observed difference is large enough to be clinically important for patients
✅ Correct Answer: There is less than a 5% probability that the observed difference arose by chance alone
Explanation: A p-value < 0.05 means results are statistically significant, rejecting null hypothesis with <5% chance probability.
Clinical Pearl: A p-value < 0.05 indicates statistical significance (<5% chance probability).
Sample Question 3 (Paper B)
Sensitivity of a diagnostic test measures:
- The proportion of people with a positive test result who genuinely do have the disease
- The proportion of people who are free of the disease who are correctly identified as test negative
- The proportion of people who have the disease who are correctly identified as test positive
- The proportion of people with a negative test result who are genuinely free of the disease
✅ Correct Answer: The proportion of people who have the disease who are correctly identified as test positive
Explanation: Sensitivity = True Positives / (True Positives + False Negatives), testing true disease detection rate.
Clinical Pearl: Sensitivity measures proportion of true diseased individuals correctly identified as positive.
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