The gold standard

Abstract

_We’ve all heard the term “gold standard” applied to many items in our everyday lives as well as those used in our practices. For the sake of discussion, we’ll define “gold standard” as the product in a specific category that reaches the highest level of achievement sought after by all competitors. But is this nebulous concept static or dynamic? In my view, it has to be dynamic in our fast-changing world. Here are some gold standards in general dentistry and my view on whether they need to be updated.