Clinical trials in orthodontics I: demographic details of clinical trials published in three orthodontic journals between 1989 and 1998.
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AIM: To test the hypothesis that there is insufficient evidence available, from clinical trials, to allow evidence-based decisions to be made on the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment. OBJECTIVES: To identify reports of orthodontic clinical trials and assess their demographic characteristics. DESIGN: A retrospective, observational study. SETTING: The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, British Journal of Orthodontics, and European Journal Orthodontics. DATA SOURCE: Clinical trials published between 1989 and 1998. METHOD: A hand-search was performed to identify all clinical trials. The journal and year of publication, research method, interventions, and sample size of the trials reported were recorded. RESULTS: One-hundred-and-fifty-five trial reports were identified of which 56 (36.1%) were published from 1989 to 1993 and 99 (69%) from 1994 to 1998. Ninety-nine (69%) reports were published in the AJO-DO, 18 (11.6%) in the BJO and 38 (24.5%) in the EJO. Eighty-five (54.8%) were reports of randomized controlled trials and 70 (45.2%) of controlled clinical trials. The interventions most frequently assessed were bonding materials (21.9%), growth modification treatments (21.3%), and oral hygiene procedures (9.0%). The median sample size was 32 (IQR 19.5, 50). CONCLUSION: There is sufficient evidence available from clinical trials to warrant doing systematic reviews of orthodontic clinical trials to aid decision-making. (+info)
Clinical trials in orthodontics II: assessment of the quality of reporting of clinical trials published in three orthodontic journals between 1989 and 1998.
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AIMS: To test the hypothesis that the quality of reporting of orthodontic clinical trials is insufficient to allow readers to assess the validity of the trial. DESIGN: A retrospective observational study. SETTING: The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJODO), the British Journal of Orthodontics (BJO) and European Journal of Orthodontics (EJO). DATA SOURCE: Clinical trials published between 1989 and 1998. METHOD: A hand search was performed to identify all clinical trials. The concealment of allocation, whether the trial was randomized, double blind, and whether there was a description of withdrawals and dropouts was recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-five trial reports were identified of which 4 (2.6%) were adequately concealed, 85 (54.8%) were described as being randomized, 10 (6.5%) as double-blind, and 44 (28.4%) gave a description of withdrawals and drop-outs from the trial. The type of randomization was considered appropriate in 78 (50.3%) reports and in 57 (36.8%) reports the level of blinding was considered appropriate. When assessed for the risk of bias in the reported trials,(1) one trial (0.6%) had a low risk of bias, 17 (11%) a moderate risk, and 137 (88.4%) a high risk. CONCLUSIONS: In general the quality of reporting orthodontic clinical trials was insufficient to allow readers to assess the validity of the trials. Reporting of clinical trials could be improved by orthodontic journals adopting the CONSORT statement(2,)(3) to ensure that all relevant information is provided. (+info)
Changes in the prosthodontic literature 1966 to 2042.
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PURPOSE: To describe the growth and content of the prosthodontic literature over the last 4 decades, to make a prognosis on its probable development in the coming 4 decades and to discuss changes in the content of the International Journal of Prosthodontics (IJP) from its start in 1988 to 2004. METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for articles on prosthodontics published between 1966 and April 2004. All volumes of IJP were examined with respect to type, subject area and geographic origin of articles. RESULTS: Using the term "prosthodontics," the MEDLINE search produced 66,600 hits. The proportion of clinical studies increased from 1% during the first 10-year period to 13% since 2001. Articles on removable dentures decreased during the period reviewed, whereas those on implant prosthodontics increased. Randomized controlled trials were rare and often of inadequate quality. Literature reviews have become popular, but many do not follow current guidelines for systematic reviews. A marked change in geographic origin of articles in IJP has occurred, with a decrease in material from North America and an increase in that from Europe and Asia. The Internet and open-access publishing will probably have a great impact on the future development of the prosthodontic literature. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial changes have occurred in the prosthodontic literature between 1966 and 2004, and they can be expected to continue with the rapid development of information technology and increased use of the Internet. (+info)
Critical appraisal and positive outcome bias in case reports published in Brazilian dental journals.
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The aim of this study was to carry out a critical appraisal to detect the occurrence of publication bias, specifically positive-outcome bias, in Brazilian dental journals. A convenience sample of twenty-eight dental journals published in Brazil between 1994 and 2003 was selected (564 issues containing 5,453 articles). Each article was classified according to methodological design; 1,064 were classified as case reports. A simple random sample of 435 articles comprised the final study sample and was submitted to a critical appraisal by previously trained raters. Although a great part of case reports achieve proper structural aspects, most authors did not consider important aspects that could help the decision making process, such as discussion of alternative approaches, limitation of the performed procedures, lack of long-term clinical follow-up, possible variations in treatment outcome, and failure to discuss limitations of study design. In addition, unanimous reports of successful outcomes of clinical interventions strongly suggest that publication of case reports was influenced by positive outcome bias, which may influence readers' clinical decision making process. (+info)
A brief history of the publication of Biomedical Journals in Iran between 1901 and 1979.
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The history of the publication of biomedical journals parallels the development of modern medicine in Iran. Modern medicine was introduced to Iran in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly after the establishment of the Dar al-Fonun School in 1851. The foundation of this collage of higher education was instrumental in further advancement of modern medicine together with the publication of medical textbooks, but the biomedical journals were published later i.e. at the beginning of twentieth century and the first weekly public health periodical was established in 1901. From that point onwards, especially following the inauguration of the Faculty of Medicine of Tehran in 1934, the number and diversity of biomedical journals was gradually increased and their scientific quality was also improved. The present paper explores briefly the history of publication of 105 medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and public health journals from the early twentieth century up to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. (+info)
Gender trends in dental leadership and academics: a twenty-two-year observation.
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The purpose of this study was to examine gender disparities in dental leadership and academics in the United States. Nine journals that represent the dental specialties and high published impact factors were selected to analyze the percentage of female dentists' first and senior authorship for the years 1986, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2008. Data on appointment status and female deanship were collected from the American Dental Association (ADA) survey, and the trends were studied. The proportion of female presidents in ADA-recognized specialty organizations was also calculated. Overall, the increase in first female authorship was not statistically significant, but the increase of last female authorship was statistically significant in a linear trend over the years. The percentage of tenured female faculty members and female deans in U.S. dental schools increased by factors of 1.7 and 9, respectively, during the study period. However, female involvement in professional organizations was limited. Findings from this study indicate that female participation in authorship and leadership has increased over time. Nevertheless, females are still a minority in dental academics and leadership. (+info)
Systematic reviews of topical fluorides for dental caries: a review of reporting practice.
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Early dental journalism: a mirror of the development of dentistry as a profession.
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The rise of dentistry from a mechanical trade to a profession has often been attributed to the so-called "triumvirate" of organization, education, and journal literature. This essay focuses on one part of the triumvirate, examining the role of journals in the growth of dentistry as a profession, from the appearance of the first journal in 1839 to the publication of the Index to Dental Literature in 1921. Rather than discussing the history of individual titles, it identifies some of the broader issues and problems that confronted early dental journalism. The evolution of dental journals from trade house publications to independent scientific literature mirrored the movement toward professional status in dentistry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (+info)