Bibliometric analysis of two journals of community dentistry

Abstract

Background: The role of scientific journals in diffusion of data concerning research in the field of Public Health Dentistry is of premier importance. Bibliometry involves analysis of publications reflecting the type of research work. Objective: To determine the number and trends of published articles in Journal of Indian association of Public Health Dentistry (JIAPHD) and to compare the same with that of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (CDOE) from year 2002 to 2013. Methodology: A retrospective observational study was conducted for JIAPHD and CDOE. All issues of JIAPHD and CDOE from 2002 to 2013 were hand searched for the parameters: Study design, area of interest of research, state/college where research was conducted, authorship pattern, source of articles published each year, changing study trends, disease under study and publication bias. The data were organized and analyzed using software SPSS - version 21.0; descriptive and inferential statistical test (Chi-square test) was used to find a significant difference between the two journals. Results: A total of 676 and 744 articles was retrieved from JIAPHD and CDOE respectively. An increase in a number of articles from 2002 to 2013 was observed in JIAPHD. About 78.8% of articles in CDOE and 68.6% in JIAPHD were observational studies (P = 0. 001) and 60% of CDOE articles and 45.3% of JIAPHD articles had > 3 authors from educational institutes (P = 0. 001). Conclusion: The bibliometric analysis of JIAPHD in comparison to CDOE showed an interesting pattern. It was reasoned that most articles published were of descriptive and analytical epidemiology indicating a demand for leading dental research based on better quality methodology in terms of research and systematic inspections. Also, JIAPHD needs to be more coherent as far as publication issues are concerned.