Advances in Dental Research, Vol 9, 270-278, Copyright © 1995 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Statistical considerations related to the use of caries model systems for the determination of clinical effectiveness of therapeutic agents
H. M. Proskin
Department of Community Dentistry, Eastman Dental Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
Caries model systems bear great promise for the eventual determination of
clinical benefits of therapeutic agents without the time and expense
involved in the conduct of a full-fledged clinical trial. However, before
such models can routinely be applied for such purposes, there are several
issues which must first be resolved, including the consideration of a
number of statistical matters. These include the assessment of the validity
and reliability of the models to be so used. A procedure presented by
Proskin, Chilton, and Kingman provides a quantitative means by which a
conclusion concerning clinical effectiveness can be derived on the basis of
data obtained through the use of a model system given that certain fairly
general underlying conditions prevail. The present paper provides some
discussion and recommendations of the author related to statistical matters
concerning the use of models, and discusses the derivation and logic of the
Proskin, Chilton, and Kingman procedure.
