The ASTDD Best Practices Committee extends a warm welcome to you for visiting this Best Practices Web site. The Committee hopes the following key message will help facilitate your use of the best practices information and resources:
The Best Practices Approach Reports on this website are provided to guide program planning, development, implementation and evaluation. They are NOT meant to be prescriptive and specific.
The term “Best Practice Approach” is intended to emphasize that there is more than one single “best” way to do something. A Best Practice Approach may have different implementation strategies that are successful. The context of individual state and community programs and the environment in which they are developed and implemented may impact whether an implementation strategy will be successful for you.
When using best practice information, it is important to ask “best” from whose perspective and using what criteria. Critically assess the information to determine the fit for the context of your program or environment.
Best practice information should NOT be considered as universal solutions with guaranteed results. Learn from best practice information and adapt ideas to improve your practices.
When adapting best practice ideas for your program or environment, consider an X-Factor. An X-Factor should include variables related to leadership, political acceptability, available resources, feasibility and implementation that are specific to each end-user's program and environment, which will influence the acceptability and adaptability of the best practice ideas.
Use both science and art to develop your best practices. For example, research evidence can guide the development of program protocols and leadership skills are needed to work with partners and leverage resources.
The ASTDD Best Practices Committee invites you to be a collaborative partner. Together we can advance best practices in dental public health.
