Clinical audit and dentistry: The perception in Indian context

Clinical audit is one of the modalities of healthcare evaluation; it is used as a quality improvement tool. Clinical audit includes a detailed review and evaluation of selected clinical records by qualified professional for assessing the quality of dental care. It is 'Measuring and Re-measuring' against agreed standard for improvement. Implementation of good clinical governance in oral healthcare services could be a daunting task. Understanding the patient turnover is important as that has direct influence on the facilities available and health outcomes. The relevant applicable tools for effective oral care can be generated through clinical audit as well as the evidence-based standards and quality indicators can be developed at national level. Additionally, Clinical audit provides the opportunity to a dentist to network with colleagues, share validated clinical skills and helps to form a peer review group. In resource-limited contexts, outcome measurement in clinical audit is particularly important. Although clinical audit is being functional at places in India, it is not a routine practice. Its acceptability and application in Indian scenario may come with dubious outcomes. The present review article aims to introduce the concept of clinical audit; in addition, author wishes to discuss the feasibility of application of clinical audit in Indian scenario.