Factual resources & source standards
SmileFacts is intentionally not a random web search. Links are curated to organizations and publication types a dental team would recommend when patients want to “look it up themselves” safely.
Primary source families
Public health & government
- CDC Oral Health — plain-language disease overviews and prevention (e.g., cavities, gum disease, fluoridation).
- NIH / NIDCR — National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research patient pages, statistics, and publications library.
- MedlinePlus (NLM) — National Library of Medicine patient encyclopedia and topic pages.
- WHO — global oral health fact sheets for advanced public-health context.
Professional dental organizations
- ADA MouthHealthy — patient education written for the public.
- JADA “For the Patient” — peer-associated patient handouts (fillings, X-rays, diabetes & oral health, sealants, fluoride, and more).
- ADA clinical practice guidelines — e.g., 2023 restorative treatments for caries lesions (advanced tier).
Peer-reviewed & research discovery
- PubMed — curated search links for systematic reviews, guidelines, and clinical literature (pathogenesis, restorations, sealants, periodontal therapy, oral health literacy).
- JADA full-text guidelines and patient pages — journal-based education spanning patient and clinician audiences.
Videos
- Short educational videos from NHS England, NIDCR/NIH, American Academy of Pediatrics, and NIH leadership conversations on fluoride science — chosen for institutional credibility, not entertainment algorithms.
How levels map to resource types
| Level | Typical resources |
|---|---|
| Basic | CDC & MedlinePlus fact pages, MouthHealthy, short animations/videos, simple NIDCR overviews |
| Intermediate | NIDCR deep dives, JADA patient pamphlets (PDF/full text), Mayo Clinic education, CDC prevention toolkits |
| Advanced | ADA clinical guidelines, PubMed systematic reviews, WHO fact sheets, NIDCR data/research features |
Example high-value links used in the site
- CDC — About Cavities (Tooth Decay)
- NIDCR — Tooth Decay · Dental Fillings · Gum Disease
- MedlinePlus — Tooth Decay
- ADA MouthHealthy — mouthhealthy.org
- JADA — 2023 restorative caries guideline · Silver vs tooth-colored fillings (For the Patient)
- PubMed — pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (topic-specific searches linked from Advanced levels)
- WHO — Oral health fact sheet
- NIDCR publications library — Downloadable pamphlets
What we avoid
- Anonymous social media claims without primary sources
- Product marketing pages presented as neutral science
- Unverified “detox,” “natural cure-all,” or fear-based dental content
For clinic teams: You can extend any topic by adding handouts your office already uses
(same three-level structure). Keep Advanced tier anchored to PubMed/guidelines so patients practice
recognizing peer-reviewed evidence.