Need of research

W live in a world of information technology and obtaining information has never been easier. Journals and books have been the original source of information and research in science. Internet is a gateway to a world where information is abundant and many a times free, but, is it always authentic? Fortunately, in health care, we still rely heavily on scientific journals. Over the last decade and a half, we have been witness to an exponential increase in the number of publications and many of these are available free online. This brings in a plethora of research and scientific material available to the health care provider, but it comes with a caveat! We have to realize that all the information available online and in print cannot be relied on or there may not be enough evidence to support its use in practice. This becomes critical especially in the dental field where the health care provider is always on the lookout for newer technologies and research to improve dental health care. At the same time patients tend to utilize this information to better understand their dental health issues and the available treatment modalities to them.