Keeping you updated with the online version of the journal

Abstract

Technology always seems to be one step ahead of us, not least in the publishing world. Only a few years ago, authors had to send hard copies of their manuscripts and figures to editorial offices by post, and all review work had to be sent out by post too. This slow process considerably delayed the progress from submission to subsequent publication. Now with the click of a mouse, papers are delivered in seconds to the editorial team, and final decisions on papers (both good and bad) can be quickly conveyed to authors as soon as these become available.With the arrival of online publishing and the rise of solely internet-based journals – many offering open access, such as journals published by BioMed Central, covering subjects as diverse as head and face medicine to circadian rhythms – some people predicted that paper journals would eventually become redundant. Indeed a number of journals have now become online only, but this is unlikely to happen to BJOMS, at least for the foreseeable future. For many readers, having both a paper copy to read when convenient and internet access to download papers when needed offers the best of both worlds. Furthermore, reading a journal article online gives access to additional content (such as videos or extended datasets) not available in the printed edition, and allows seamless linking from one article to another via the reference list.Interestingly, although the impact factor of BJOMS is currently below that of other well-regarded specialist journals such as Oral Oncology, the number of articles downloaded is very similar for both. Although some commentators (scientists in particular) perceive that impact factors are the sole measure of the quality of a journal, for most surgical journals the real impact is the way in which articles influence and even change our daily practice. With this in mind, we thought that reader should be regularly updated on the 10 most downloaded articles in a recent 3-month period (in this case July–October 2008).1Scully C. Lo Muzio L. Oral mucosal diseases: mucous membrane pemphigoid.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 358-366Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (71) Google Scholar, 2Scully C. Porter S. Oral mucosal disease: recurrent aphthous stomatitis.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 198-206Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (252) Google Scholar, 3Anjum K. Revington P.J. Irvine G.H. Superficial parotidectomy: antegrade compared with modified retrograde dissections of the facial nerve.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 433-434Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (21) Google Scholar, 4Depprich R. Handschel J. Wiesmann H.P. Jäsche-Meyer J. Meyer U. Use of bioreactors in maxillofacial tissue engineering.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 349-354Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar, 5Scully C. Carrozzo M. Oral mucosal disease: lichen planus.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 15-21Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (295) Google Scholar, 6Gibbons A.J. Moss C.E. From where will future Maxillofacial Surgeons be recruited?.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 423Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar, 7Singh J. Doddridge M. Broughton A. Goss A. Reconstruction of post-orthognathic aseptic necrosis of the maxilla.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 408-410Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar, 8Vescovi P. Manfredi M. Merigo E. et al.Quantic molecular resonance scalpel and its potential applications in oral surgery.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 355-357Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar, 9Lee H.E. Lee K.T. Tseng Y.C. Huang I.Y. Chen C.M. Interdisciplinary management of unfavorable posterior intermaxillary space.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 413-415Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar, 10Sleilati F.H. Stephan H.A. Nasr M.W. Riachy M.A. An unusual pressure sore of the nasal bridge.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 411-412Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar This regular update will provide a link between the paper and online versions of the journal, and will give an idea of those articles that have particularly interested others.Scully C, Lo Muzio L. Oral mucosal diseases: mucous membrane pemphigoid. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:358–66.Scully C, Porter S. Oral mucosal disease: recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:198–206.These two articles provide up-to-date knowledge about these diseases, including their clinical presentations, pathology, complications and management. They also comprehensively discuss treatment modalities, including the use of drugs that we might not all be familiar with.Anjum K, Revington PJ, Irvine GH. Superficial parotidectomy: antegrade compared with modified retrograde dissections of the facial nerve. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:433–4.This retrospective case study compared two techniques of superficial parotidectomy: conventional antegrade dissection of the facial nerve, and retrograde dissection. A total of 89 parotidectomies over a 6-year period were included. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the groups. They also describe an alternative technique for identifying the main trunk of the facial nerve.Depprich R, Handschel J, Wiesmann HP, Jäsche-Meyer J, Meyer U. Use of bioreactors in maxillofacial tissue engineering. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:349–54.Tissue engineering is a challenging issue in contemporary maxillofacial reconstructive research. This review gives an overview of the current state-of-the-art in maxillofacial tissue engineering using bioreactors. The authors discuss its limitations, as well as future research trends.Scully C, Carrozzo M. Oral mucosal disease: lichen planus. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:15–21.Once again, a well-written review that discusses the management and up-to-date treatments of this disease.Gibbons AJ, Moss CE. From where will future maxillofacial surgeons be recruited? Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:423.This letter to the editor raises an issue relating to GDC registration, particularly in relation to dentoalveolar procedures, and how medically qualified dental students will be able to fund their second degree. It just goes to show that some items which are topical may generate more downloads than interesting full length articles!Singh J, Doddridge M, Broughton A, Goss A. Reconstruction of post-orthognathic aseptic necrosis of the maxilla. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:408–10.This short communication presents the reconstruction of the maxillary alveolus which developed near total aseptic necrosis after a Le Fort I osteotomy 8 years previously. With so many downloads, it shows that short communications can be as interesting to readers as full length articles.Vescovi P, Manfredi M, Merigo E, et al. Quantic molecular resonance scalpel and its potential applications in oral surgery. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:355–7.Quantic molecular resonance (QMR) is a new technique that applies high frequency waves suitable for many surgical fields. It is a remarkable advance from conventional electrosurgery, and consists of non-traumatic cutting of tissue and gentle coagulation. The cut is achieved by the explosion of infracellular and intracellular liquids that resonate with a special frequency. This article discusses QMR in some detail.Lee HE, Lee KT, Tseng YC, Huang IY, Chen CM. Interdisciplinary management of unfavorable posterior intermaxillary space. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008; 46:413–15.Once again, a short communication with a large number of downloads. It illustrates a case of severe posterior maxillary dentoalveolar extrusion due to early loss of mandibular molars. A posterior maxillary subapical osteotomy was utilized for reestablishing the intermaxillary space, and a titanium alloy miniplate was placed in the right mandible provide skeletal anchorage to distalize the anterior mandibular teeth. Dental implants were placed to restore masticatory function.Sleilati FH, Stephan HA, Nasr MW, Riachy MA. An unusual pressure sore of the nasal bridge. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:411–12.Three short communications in the top 10 downloaded articles! This one reported an unusual pressure sore of the nasal bridge caused by a non-invasive ventilation mask. As conservative treatment was unsuccessful, the defect had to be repaired surgically, and a good postoperative result was obtained. Technology always seems to be one step ahead of us, not least in the publishing world. Only a few years ago, authors had to send hard copies of their manuscripts and figures to editorial offices by post, and all review work had to be sent out by post too. This slow process considerably delayed the progress from submission to subsequent publication. Now with the click of a mouse, papers are delivered in seconds to the editorial team, and final decisions on papers (both good and bad) can be quickly conveyed to authors as soon as these become available. With the arrival of online publishing and the rise of solely internet-based journals – many offering open access, such as journals published by BioMed Central, covering subjects as diverse as head and face medicine to circadian rhythms – some people predicted that paper journals would eventually become redundant. Indeed a number of journals have now become online only, but this is unlikely to happen to BJOMS, at least for the foreseeable future. For many readers, having both a paper copy to read when convenient and internet access to download papers when needed offers the best of both worlds. Furthermore, reading a journal article online gives access to additional content (such as videos or extended datasets) not available in the printed edition, and allows seamless linking from one article to another via the reference list. Interestingly, although the impact factor of BJOMS is currently below that of other well-regarded specialist journals such as Oral Oncology, the number of articles downloaded is very similar for both. Although some commentators (scientists in particular) perceive that impact factors are the sole measure of the quality of a journal, for most surgical journals the real impact is the way in which articles influence and even change our daily practice. With this in mind, we thought that reader should be regularly updated on the 10 most downloaded articles in a recent 3-month period (in this case July–October 2008).1Scully C. Lo Muzio L. Oral mucosal diseases: mucous membrane pemphigoid.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 358-366Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (71) Google Scholar, 2Scully C. Porter S. Oral mucosal disease: recurrent aphthous stomatitis.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 198-206Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (252) Google Scholar, 3Anjum K. Revington P.J. Irvine G.H. Superficial parotidectomy: antegrade compared with modified retrograde dissections of the facial nerve.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 433-434Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (21) Google Scholar, 4Depprich R. Handschel J. Wiesmann H.P. Jäsche-Meyer J. Meyer U. Use of bioreactors in maxillofacial tissue engineering.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 349-354Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar, 5Scully C. Carrozzo M. Oral mucosal disease: lichen planus.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 15-21Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (295) Google Scholar, 6Gibbons A.J. Moss C.E. From where will future Maxillofacial Surgeons be recruited?.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 423Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar, 7Singh J. Doddridge M. Broughton A. Goss A. Reconstruction of post-orthognathic aseptic necrosis of the maxilla.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 408-410Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar, 8Vescovi P. Manfredi M. Merigo E. et al.Quantic molecular resonance scalpel and its potential applications in oral surgery.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 355-357Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar, 9Lee H.E. Lee K.T. Tseng Y.C. Huang I.Y. Chen C.M. Interdisciplinary management of unfavorable posterior intermaxillary space.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 413-415Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar, 10Sleilati F.H. Stephan H.A. Nasr M.W. Riachy M.A. An unusual pressure sore of the nasal bridge.Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2008; 46: 411-412Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar This regular update will provide a link between the paper and online versions of the journal, and will give an idea of those articles that have particularly interested others.Scully C, Lo Muzio L. Oral mucosal diseases: mucous membrane pemphigoid. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:358–66.Scully C, Porter S. Oral mucosal disease: recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:198–206.These two articles provide up-to-date knowledge about these diseases, including their clinical presentations, pathology, complications and management. They also comprehensively discuss treatment modalities, including the use of drugs that we might not all be familiar with.Anjum K, Revington PJ, Irvine GH. Superficial parotidectomy: antegrade compared with modified retrograde dissections of the facial nerve. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:433–4.This retrospective case study compared two techniques of superficial parotidectomy: conventional antegrade dissection of the facial nerve, and retrograde dissection. A total of 89 parotidectomies over a 6-year period were included. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the groups. They also describe an alternative technique for identifying the main trunk of the facial nerve.Depprich R, Handschel J, Wiesmann HP, Jäsche-Meyer J, Meyer U. Use of bioreactors in maxillofacial tissue engineering. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:349–54.Tissue engineering is a challenging issue in contemporary maxillofacial reconstructive research. This review gives an overview of the current state-of-the-art in maxillofacial tissue engineering using bioreactors. The authors discuss its limitations, as well as future research trends.Scully C, Carrozzo M. Oral mucosal disease: lichen planus. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:15–21.Once again, a well-written review that discusses the management and up-to-date treatments of this disease.Gibbons AJ, Moss CE. From where will future maxillofacial surgeons be recruited? Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:423.This letter to the editor raises an issue relating to GDC registration, particularly in relation to dentoalveolar procedures, and how medically qualified dental students will be able to fund their second degree. It just goes to show that some items which are topical may generate more downloads than interesting full length articles!Singh J, Doddridge M, Broughton A, Goss A. Reconstruction of post-orthognathic aseptic necrosis of the maxilla. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:408–10.This short communication presents the reconstruction of the maxillary alveolus which developed near total aseptic necrosis after a Le Fort I osteotomy 8 years previously. With so many downloads, it shows that short communications can be as interesting to readers as full length articles.Vescovi P, Manfredi M, Merigo E, et al. Quantic molecular resonance scalpel and its potential applications in oral surgery. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:355–7.Quantic molecular resonance (QMR) is a new technique that applies high frequency waves suitable for many surgical fields. It is a remarkable advance from conventional electrosurgery, and consists of non-traumatic cutting of tissue and gentle coagulation. The cut is achieved by the explosion of infracellular and intracellular liquids that resonate with a special frequency. This article discusses QMR in some detail.Lee HE, Lee KT, Tseng YC, Huang IY, Chen CM. Interdisciplinary management of unfavorable posterior intermaxillary space. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008; 46:413–15.Once again, a short communication with a large number of downloads. It illustrates a case of severe posterior maxillary dentoalveolar extrusion due to early loss of mandibular molars. A posterior maxillary subapical osteotomy was utilized for reestablishing the intermaxillary space, and a titanium alloy miniplate was placed in the right mandible provide skeletal anchorage to distalize the anterior mandibular teeth. Dental implants were placed to restore masticatory function.Sleilati FH, Stephan HA, Nasr MW, Riachy MA. An unusual pressure sore of the nasal bridge. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008;46:411–12.Three short communications in the top 10 downloaded articles! This one reported an unusual pressure sore of the nasal bridge caused by a non-invasive ventilation mask. As conservative treatment was unsuccessful, the defect had to be repaired surgically, and a good postoperative result was obtained.