The dental school’s CaseCAT Program is an opportunity for students to review research literature with a focused clinical question, and present a CAT (Critically-Appraised Topic), in poster form, to students and faculty in a competition.  This is a great way to get experience with reading science for a specific purpose, and to learn how to present your findings to others (after all, we’ll be doing it for our patients!).

Purpose

1. To provide additional opportunities for students to become familiar with evidence-based dentistry.
2. To provide additional opportunities for students to learn how to conduct reviews of the peer-reviewed literature to answer questions relevant to the everyday practice of dentistry.
3. To provide additional opportunities for students to do presentations at scientific, local, national and international meetings.
4. To encourage students to become involved in, or continue involvement with scholarly activity in the clinical years of their dental education.
5. To provide opportunities for faculty to be involved in learning how to mentor students in the skills of critically reviewing the peer-reviewed literature, as well as organizing a professional presentation.

Rationale

Evidence is being published at an ever-accelerating rate.  It is impossible for dentists, especially general dentists, to read all relevant dental scientific journals.  Yet the profession and patients are demanding that the best, most cost-effective and most scientifically sound treatment be provided, or at the very least presented as an option for care.  The only way for the modern practitioner to remain current is to have the skills that allow them to perform literature searches and critically review relevant articles to answer questions they confront in their practices.  The Critically-Appraised Topic (CAT) is a technique being increasingly used, particularly in dental schools, to address this need in practice. 

CaseCAT timeline

1. Topic/clinical question selected and faculty mentor assigned: Jan 20
2. Preliminary poster draft: Feb 10
3. Final title and poster draft: Feb 17
4. Final poster: Feb 24
5. Poster printed: Feb 28
6. Poster presented: Research Day: March 2
7. Poster competition: ODA: April 15

Suggested poster guidelines:

• Poster size should be 48 in. width x 36 in. height.
• Keep the poster mostly white with some color. Color-heavy posters take longer and more resources to print.