Navigating the Evidence Era in Pediatric Dentistry: Progress, Challenges, and Prospects

Evidence-based practice has become a cornerstone of modern dentistry, bridging the gap between scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and patient-centered care.In pediatric dentistry, evidence-based approaches are particularly significant due to the unique biological, behavioral, and developmental considerations in children.This review highlights the foundations of evidence-based dentistry (EDB), the evolution of materials and clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), and current applications in pediatric dentistry, including preventive strategies, pulp therapy, restorative options, and behavior management.It also outlines challenges such as the scarcity of high-quality randomized controlled trials, the prevalence of conditional recommendations, and the difficulties of translating evidence into practice.At the same time, emerging opportunities in systematic research, technological integration, and personalized care offer promising directions for the field.Ultimately, evidence-based pediatric dentistry aims to optimize treatment outcomes by judiciously combining validated scientific evidence, patient preferences, and clinical expertise, while remaining adaptive to new discoveries in the 21st century.