Research why?

The answers are based on article publish by American Association of Dental Research and a book “A David Suzuki Collection: A Lifetime of Ideas” 

Why do we need to do research, while all our research results are unreliable, and most of the time not clinically relevant anyway? 

A process can, sometimes, be much more important than product. 

Why do we need to do research, while we only need to be able to treat patient and treat properly? 

To achieve those, we need to read, critically appraise what we read and implement them in our practice. Now, how research can help? 

Doing research make you think critically: 

You will know how and why facts change because you have changed a few yourselves. If your research is BS, you know why it’s BS and learn to scrutinize other research reports. Theoretically, you will be more open-minded and less dogmatic. Of course, this is not happening to every people, who do research, but my point is that the probability is higher for people who do do research than those who do not. 

Doing research make you confident: 

You will learn how to think, rationalize, and solve problems with expertise and ease. You will have faced and solved a unique problem which gives you a feeling of confidence. You will know more about your field and yourself. 

We now have access to more information than ever in history, it can make life much more complex and difficult. Think of how much you have to read and digest when you are PG. If we are going to apply that information to patients, we have to understand its limitations. We have to be skeptical of any new claims, demand to see the evidence for ourselves. This is the very attitude that you will acquire, while you are doing research.

Now, research is not for everyone. So, distinguish yourself and give this adventure a try!