Useful concepts for critical appraisal: 1. study design

There is an increasing volume of research undertaken within orthodontics and with this comes a need to evaluate what is available. This short series of three articles aims to help the orthodontist revise basic concepts of critical appraisal and pertinent statistics. Clinical Relevance: Critical appraisal skills are valuable tools that can aid clinical decision-making. In this first of three articles, we discuss different study designs.