Adherence to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Guidelines for Reporting Randomized Controlled Trials Related to Mandibular Third Molars

Abstract

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the backbone of evidence-based medicine. Despite the widespread acceptance of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT), its use for reporting clinical trials in journals remains poor. The purpose of this study was to find out to what extent RCTs related to mandibular third molars have adhered to the CONSORT statement. This study was carried out during April 2020 to June 2020. PubMed was used to retrieve RCTs related to mandibular third molars conducted during the last 5years. The search terms used were mandibular third molar OR lower third molar OR impacted mandibular third molar AND randomized controlled trial. Each article was assessed for adherence to the CONSORT statement. Eighty unique articles were retrieved. The mean percentage adherence to the CONSORT statement noted was 60.26%. Of the 37 CONSORT items, only 4 items showed 100% adherence (2a, 2b, 4a, and 12a). The most underreported items were #10, 12b, 17a, 17b, 18, 19, 23 to 25. Of the 23 journals considered, 6 journals did not recommend CONSORT for reporting RCT in the "Instructions to Authors" guidelines. Within the limits of the study, it is clear that the RCTs related to third molar do not show 100% adherence to the CONSORT checklist. The editorial policy, peer reviewers, and researchers should endorse the use of the CONSORT checklist for transparent reporting of the RCTs.