This document outlines expectations for workgroup members in any of the workgroups in the Evidence-Based Dentistry committee at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). This will include requirements, time commitment and a summary of expectations.

Position Summary

  • Workgroup members are expected to:
  • Participate in regular workgroup meetings.
  • Collaborate with other workgroup members on data extraction and review of journal articles.
  • Provide expertise on a clinical area on a topic covered in the systematic review or clinical practice guideline.
  • Write components of the systematic review or clinical practice guidelines as assigned by the workgroup chair.
  • Review/evaluate any existing guidelines and systematic reviews as appropriate.
  • Select studies for full-text retrieval and extraction / Extract (Cochrane form) for each study selected.
  • Perform evidence synthesis: Meta analysis or Narrative synthesis.
  • Grade Evidence (based on GRADE criteria – Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation).
  • Work independently and as part of a team.
  • Communicate verbally and in writing clearly and logically.
  • Demonstrate personal integrity in all interactions.
  • Develop a research protocol that includes PICO clinical questions.
  • Modify guidelines according to external review recommendations.
  • Perform other duties as assigned by the workgroup chair.

Requirements

  • Participation in either the ADA EBD workshop or the AAPD EBD workshop.
  • Familiarity of meta-analysis and forest plots is required.
  • Previous experience in working on systematic reviews and clinical
  • Practice guidelines (preferred).
  • Acceptance and signing of the AAPD Volunteer Leader Agreement Form
  • To secure copyright compliance, avoid conflicts of interest, and ensure confidentiality of data, recommendations, and drafts until publication.

Term

  • Workgroup members will serve terms of variable length, from appointment at the initiation of the guideline development process until completion of their assigned guideline.

*Time Commitment

  • Workgroup Meetings: 1-2 hours a month. Meetings may take place on the weekend depending on volunteer schedules. Workgroup members are also expected to attend (in-person or virtual) the AAPD Annual Session as their schedule allows.
  • Article Reviews: 2-6 hours a week. Reviewing articles may take place over a 1–2-month period depending on the volume of literature.
  • Data Extraction: 4-10 hours a week. Data extraction may take place over a 2-6-month period depending on the volume of data extracted.
  • Drafting Recommendation Statements: 4-6 hours per recommendation. Drafting recommendations may take place over a 1-2-month period.
  • Reviewing Recommendation Statements: 2-4 hours per recommendation. Reviewing recommendations may take place over a 1–2-month period.
  • Writing Components: 5-10 hours per assignment. Writing components may take place over a 1–2-month period

 

*Time commitment may be subject to change, depending on workgroup need or project progress.

Failure to achieve these performance requirements above may result in dismissal from the workgroup.