About ToothIQ

ToothIQ by Symbyos

ToothIQ was developed by Symbyos (www.symbyos.com), a health information systems company founded in 2001 to build Web-based solutions for dental health care delivery. It is our belief that educated consumers make the best decisions about their health care. Once a person is knowledgeable about their dental health needs and treatment options, their dental benefits should be available to them without delay.

ToothIQ was architected to enable both consumers and dental health professionals to quickly find information to make the best decisions about care. It is peer-reviewed by dental and medical professionals, and is internationally certified as a trustworthy source of unbiased oral health information.

Oral Health Literacy

Many people engage in oral health decisions without having a full understanding of their needs and treatment options. Barriers to understanding include the use of industry jargon in describing problems and solutions; language barriers; lack of efficient learning systems; an overabundance of poorly organized information, which is lacking in context; presence of conflicting data; and lack of time to explore options.

ToothIQ is at the forefront of the oral health literacy movement. It was designed to help users from all backgrounds, including those with basic literacy skills and those with advanced dental training. It is available in 42 languages through Google's Translate utility.

Intended use of ToothIQ

ToothIQ provides information about dental diagnoses and treatment options. Information is presented in clear, easily understood articles, designed to provide a framework for understanding dental topics. Links are provided to additional learning sources, where users may go to educate themselves in greater depth. The information available on ToothIQ is not intended to be a substitute for the advice or treatment of an appropriately qualified dental or medical professional. Do not delay evaluation of, or treatment for a dental condition based on something you have read on ToothIQ. ToothIQ does not provide medical or dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. More information

Reliable health information

ToothIQ has been certified by HON, the "Health on the Net Foundation" (www.healthonnet.org). HON's published mission is: "to guide the growing community of healthcare consumers and providers on the World Wide Web to sound, reliable medical information and expertise. In this way, HON seeks to contribute to better, more accessible and cost-effective health care... Quality assessment has been our concern since the beginning. We recognise the need for systematic and stringent peer review. We have led international efforts to improve the quality of medical information on the Internet, notably through the HON Code of Conduct [1] (HONcode©) for healthcare site developers. This remains a HON priority."

HON, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, has become one of the most respected not-for-profit portals to medical information on the Internet.

Up-to-date, relevant dental information

ToothIQ's chief editor monitors nearly 100 international peer-reviewed medical and dental journals and RSS feeds. When new information becomes available, it is evaluated for clinical relevance, and added to ToothIQ as appropriate.

ToothIQ's clinical reviewers also make suggestions about journals and scholars whose work helps to establish the current standard of care, and whose content should be considered for inclusion in ToothIQ's citation database.

Preference is given to content which can have an immediate effect on clinical decision-making. Animal studies, while important, may not have immediate clinical usefulness, and are given a lower priority for addition to the database.

Peer-reviewed and endorsed by professional educators

Peer review involves scrutiny of the content on ToothIQ by dental and medical professionals whose educational background and clinical experience qualifies them to comment on the site's quality, thoroughness, and accuracy. Having an educational review board helps to ensure that the content remains useful and accessible to consumers with varying degrees of literacy.

None of the reviewers of ToothIQ has any financial interest in Symbyos or ToothIQ.

Non-biased

The educational content available on ToothIQ is presented in a neutral manner. Where controversies exist, both sides of the debate are fairly represented. In such cases, you should discuss the issue with your trusted health professional. In all cases, you should base your decisions about treatment on their advice.

Whenever possible, ToothIQ's chief editor and review board strive to present findings of long-term studies, Meta analyses of multiple studies, and other scientifically valid research on which the current standards of treatment should be based. Symbyos does not accept compensation for the generation of content, and although incidental references may occasionally be made in the content to certain brands or manufacturers, Symbyos does not have any financial relationship with any such third party. Nor does it necessarily endorse or agree with claims made by third parties about their products or services.
Learn more: Advertising policies

Chief Editor

Thomas J. Greany, DDS currently monitors over 100 international, peer-reviewed professional journals and RSS feeds from many notable medical and dental web sites. He is an engineer and practicing general dentist, with a special interest in the surgical and restorative phases of implant dentistry.

Funding

ToothIQ is completely funded by dentist memberships—licensed U.S. dentists who use ToothIQ with their patients and express their support for patients' rights to be fully informed about dental care and treatment options. Symbyos does not accept compensation from manufacturers, product vendors, or other third parties in exchange for generation of content, or promotion of products or services.

For more information about funding of ToothIQ, see ToothIQ's Advertising Policies.

Editorial Review Board

Symbyos gratefully acknowledges the following people for their participation in the review of ToothIQ. The panel consists of dentists, physicians, registered dental hygienists, professional educators, and "at-large" reviewers whose feedback has helped us to deliver what we believe is the best resource for dental health information on the Web.

Content Review Board, Dental
Content Review Board, Educational
Content Review Board, Employer
Content Review Board, Physician