Exploring the profile of articles on traumatic dental injuries in pediatric dental journals

Abstract

To explore the profile of articles on traumatic dental injuries (TDI) published in leading pediatric dental journals between 2000 and 2010 via bibliometric analysis. A search was conducted on the PubMed database to find the six pediatric dental journals with the highest numbers of articles on TDI published between January 2000 and December 2010. All titles and abstracts of full-length articles were reviewed by two examiners. Studies focusing on TDI were independently categorized according to the following aspects: (i) year of publication; (ii) country where the study was carried out; (iii) study design; (iv) topic addressed; (v) type of TDI; and (vi) type of dentition. Data were analyzed in terms of frequency distribution. Of a total of 3720 articles published in the six selected journals, only 119 (3.2%) focused on TDI, with no significant variations across the journals or years. The countries with the greatest number of publications on TDI were India (19.3%), followed by the USA (15.1%), Brazil (13.4%), and Italy (11.8%). Case report and case series were the dominant study design (53%). Most studies addressed treatment of TDI (63%) and described injuries to permanent teeth (68%), especially avulsion and crown fractures. There is an urgent need for expanding the number and quality of research on TDI in pediatric dental journals, especially with better quality study designs. Cohort studies and investigations focusing on the assessment of health services and technologies are important targets for future research.