Dental Literature Research Articles

Evaluation of the use of GRADE in dentistry systematic reviews and its impact on conclusions: a protocol for a methodological study

BackgroundThere is a growing body of evidence of systematic reviews (SRs) with varying degrees of methodological quality. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach allows SR authors to assess the certainty of the evidence they found and transparently relay their conclusions. As there appears to be infrequent utilization of GRADE in the field of dentistry, to identify the impact of GRADE, the aim of this study is to evaluate the use of GRADE in the dental literature and determine whether SRs that use GRADE differ from those that do not with respect to their conclusions.Methods/designWe will search Ovid MEDLINE for SRs published from 2016 to the present. We will conduct both screening and data extraction independently and in duplicate and use pre-piloted, standardized forms for data extraction. We will determine the frequency of the use of GRADE and the varying levels of certainty in the current literature and evaluate whether GRADE is being used appropriately. We will also evaluate whether SRs not using GRADE differ from those that use GRADE with regard to methodological quality. We will also determine whether the conclusions of SRs that do not use GRADE would change had GRADE been utilized. Additionally, we will evaluate whether SRs using GRADE are more likely to formulate appropriate conclusions compared to SRs that do not use it.DiscussionThis study will investigate the frequency of GRADE assessments in dentistry SRs and the impact of GRADE assessments on the conclusions of a SR. It has important implications for both SR authors and users of this type of literature.

Ring chromosome 14 syndrome: what the dentist should know to manage children with r(14) effec-tively

Ring chromosome 14 syndrome, or r(14), is a rare genetic disorder characterized by distinctive facial features, intractable epilepsy, delayed development, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder. With less than 100 documented cases worldwide, the disease is not well known or fully studied. Furthermore, the literature offers little guidance to aid dentists in the management of these patients as r(14) remains undocumented in the dental literature. To investigate the manifestations and challenges faced by a group of subjects suffering from r(14), to raise awareness of this syndrome, and to provide tips and suggestions that dentists may find helpful to manage r(14) children effectively. A voluntary survey was administered to the caretakers of 13 r(14) patients who, as of 2019, were registered in the NORD (National Organization for Rare Diseases) global data bank (Ring 14 USA Outreach). The patients were assessed for age, gender, geographic distribution, phenotype, physical appearance, maxillofacial characteristics, presence of oral conditions and abnormalities, malocclusion, epileptic seizures, cognitive abilities, speech, muscle tone, nutrition, autism, and other developmental and behavioral points of interest. Of the 13 patients queried, 7 were male and 6 were female. The age of the patients ranged from 5 to 49 years. Ten patients were of European ancestry and three were Hispanic, all residing across the U.S. The majority of patients were diagnosed as infants, shortly after commencement of uncontrollable seizures. All the patients had microcephaly and presented with Class II malocclusions. More frequent occlusal anomalies and conditions included diastemata of the anterior teeth, congenitally missing teeth, crowding, and drooling. The majority of subjects was unable to speak, suffered from intractable seizures, and frequently exhibited behavioral outbursts. A child with r(14) may present a considerable challenge to the dentist and staff, but the dental problems of r(14) children are, for the most part, like those of any other patient and can often be handled by the dentist. Depending on the severity of symptoms, some children with r(14) may be as treatable in the dental office as any other child.

Minimally invasive selective caries removal: a clinical guide

An evolving understanding of the carious process, along with new research in adhesive restorative materials, has led to a more conservative, minimally invasive and biologically-based approach to managing dental carious lesions. The growing volume of literature has also demonstrated prognostic success in the selective caries excavation technique, subsequently preventing excessive tooth structure removal and injury to the dentine-pulp complex, which maintains pulp vitality and improves the long-term prognosis of the tooth. However, at present, there remains a limited volume of high-quality evidence to support selective caries removal, which subsequently could partly explain some resistance to its use in clinical practice. This clinical technique guide aims to demonstrate the management of carious lesions of moderate-to-deep depth in permanent teeth based on current minimally invasive dental literature.

A CLINICAL CASE REPORT OF AN EPIDERMOID CYST OF THE MANDIBLE

Epidermoid and dermoid cysts are slow-developing formations of ectodermal origin and their most common location is underneath the skin. Epidermoid cysts of the jaw bones are extremely rare, with only several cases documented in the dental literature. Their most common intraoral location is the floor of the oral cavity, the tongue, lips, palate and cheeks. They are slow-growing painless formations, usually discovered incidentally when imaging scans, as well as histopathological examinations, are performed. A patient sought assistance from us, presenting with painful swelling in the right side of the mandible, without added infection. The radiograph and the CBCT scans revealed a lesion in the region of tooth #48, extending halfway into the mandibular ramus, which was surgically removed under general anesthesia. The surgical technique was cystectomy- complete removal of the cyst with the fibrous capsule. The mucosa above the bone defect is then tightly sealed. The histopathology report described an epidermal cyst. It follows that this type of lesions, though extremely uncommon in the jaw bones, must be considered in the differential diagnosis with odontogenic cysts like follicular odontogeneic cyst and odontogeneic keratocyst.

Pulp Therapy of Primary Dentition; its Relevance despite Insufficient Histological Evidence: A Review.

Pulp treatment in primary dentition is generally divided into vital and non-vital pulp therapies and assists in the preservation of pulpally involved primary teeth in the dental arch until the affected tooth naturally exfoliates. The success of pulp therapies depends on several factors; e.g. proper case selection, accurate diagnosis and good coronal seal. To date, studies on the success and failure rates of pulp treatments are based on clinical signs and symptoms, radiographic findings and histological analysis. However, the clinical and radiographic evidence may not completely portray the true status of the dental pulp. Histological evidence remains the gold standard in the assessment of pulp condition, whether it is in a healthy or adverse state. The aims of the current research were to summarise the treatment outcomes of pulp therapy in primary dentition based on clinical, radiographic and histological criteria, and to support its relevance in the presence of limited histological evidence to measure authentic treatment success. An electronic database search of dental literature from 1990 to 2022 was carried out using the MEDLINE, i.e. PubMed, database. Current dental literature showed that the success rates of primary tooth pulp therapy are high. The obtained results were based largely on clinical and radiographic studies with narrow histological investigations to assess the treatment outcome(s) of pulp therapy in primary dentition. Despite the scarcity of histological evidence, pulp therapies in primary teeth are still practical due to their statistically empirical success compared to their failure. Consequently, pulp therapy of primary dentition is still relevant, and should continue to be indicated as an important treatment option.

Mandibular foramen location and its implication to the inferior alveolar nerve block: A retrospective study

Aim: This study was carried out to identify differences in the parameters for locating mandibular foramen (MF) in the central Indian population and the recommended guidelines for the administration of inferior alveolar nerve block (IAN) as mentioned in the dental literature. Methods: Eighty high-resolution full volumes cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were randomly selected from the radiology database and the scans were rendered, viewed, and measured using the on-demand volumetric imaging software (Anatomage, San Jose, CA). The parameters used in locating the MF/IAN complex were the horizontal distance from the mandibular notch to the midpoint of MF (H); vertical distance from the level of the mandibular occlusal plane to the center of MF (V) and the angle from the contralateral premolar contact area to the MF. Results: Paired t-test was applied. The mean horizontal distance from the mandibular notch to MF was 22.36 ± 2.60 mm in males and 21.05 ± 3.57 mm in females. The mean vertical distance to the occlusal plane was 10.23 ± 4.57 mm in males and 7.42 ± 4.96 mm in females, with a significant difference between the genders (P < 0.05). The mean value for the angulation for the occlusal plane was 39.28° ±5.23° and 37.35° ±3.72° in males and females, respectively. Conclusion: Ethnicity and gender influence the location of the MF/IAN complex. The utilization of long needles, orienting the syringe barrel at an angulation slightly <45° and approximately 10 mm above the mandibular occlusal plane can aid in successfully administering the IAN block.

Talon Cusp, Tooth Transposition, Taurodontism-Occurrence of “T Anomalies” Together in a Non-Syndromic Child-A Rarest Case Report

Presenting of rare and unusual dental anomalies is always essential to enhance the richness of existing dental literature pertaining to these anomalies. Developmental dental anomalies starting from the alphabet ‘T’ such as Talon cusp, Transposition and Taurodontism are the uncommon dental phenomenon’s which are reported individually. However, occurrence of all these anomalies together is not reported so far. Therefore, the purpose of the present article is to report occurrences of all these dental anomalies together in detail in a 9-year-old, normal, healthy Indian male patient.

Successful Rehabilitation of Traumatized Immature Teeth by Different Vital Pulp Therapies in Pediatric Patients

Conservative treatment of the traumatized immature vital permanent teeth is considered critical step for rehabilitating with continued normal development of root and apex closure without adverse sequelae. Hence, the present article describes the case series of successfully and effectively managing the fractured vital immature permanent teeth (Ellis Class-II and Ellis Class-III dental trauma) in pediatric patients by employing three different conservative Vital Pulp Therapy (VPT) approaches using suitable sealing/pulp-capping agents to promote apexogenesis, followed by functional and esthetic restoration. In all the three presented cases, Apexogenesis was achieved without any unfavorable outcome like pulpal or periapical sequelae. Furthermore, the current dental literature relevant to VPT procedures for apexogenesis in young permanent teeth has been thoroughly described in this article.

Professionalism and professional identity formation in dental students: Revisiting the professional role orientation inventory (PROI).

Professionalism is a hallmark of health professions education. Professional identity formation is a growing field of exploration in medical education, and the dental literature is sparse on just how professional identity formation is developed and assessed within dental education. The validated professional role orientation inventory (PROI) was administered to 2nd year dental students during a spring semester ethics course. The PROI includes four 10-item scales representing four attitudinal factors: Authority, Responsibility, Agency, and Autonomy. When compared to a historical sample of dental students in the early 1990s, dental students today scored significantly higher on Responsibility (p=0.0309) and lower on the Agency factor (p=0.0001). Authority scores in the current sample of dental students were significantly associated with age and race, with an increase in age associated with a decrease in Authority (p=0.0504) and Caucasian respondents demonstrating significantly higher scores than Asian or Other races. Debt was associated with differences in Autonomy (p=0.0683) and Agency (p=0.0106), with those in the 100k-300k anticipated debt range demonstrating lower levels of both Autonomy and Agency. Race was marginally associated with Responsibility with those in the Other race category (Hispanic, Black/African American, Other/Multiracial) demonstrating higher levels than Caucasian (p=0.0513). Dental students' scores denote a continued commitment to others yet a feeling of less sense of control as a practicing professional. A redefining of professionalism to include social activism and advancing health equity is required given their altruism and commitment to others, which remains high.

Systemic Diseases with Oral Manifestations and Their Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life

Abstract Health-related quality of life is a multidimensional concept established to evaluate the physical, psychological, and social impacts of health conditions on individuals’ well-being. Various tools for measuring health-related quality of life can be categorized into two subsets: generic and disease–specific instruments. The oral cavity can be stricken by a broad range of local and systemic diseases and their systemic treatment modalities. The most common systemic illnesses associated with oral lesions are hematologic disorders, endocrinopathies, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, mucocutaneous and rheumatic diseases, and neoplastic processes. Their manifestations in the oral cavity are, in most cases, rather nonspecific but should not be overlooked. Oral health is one of the most important parts of overall health, thus it has been proposed that poor oral health may affect health–related quality of life. The presence of oral manifestations of systemic diseases has a negative impact on the daily functioning of patients, decreasing their overall well-being. This article will review the most common systemic diseases with oral manifestations and their impact on the health–related quality of life. Oral health researchers should put a stronger emphasis on the patient-reported quality of life as a primary outcome in future clinical trials. The significance of this area has still not been widely understood in the current dental literature even though it could help improve patients’ health-related quality of life.

Gender inequities in dental research publications: Findings from 20 years.

The first steps towards gender equity in science are measuring the magnitude of inequity and increasing awareness of the problem. To describe trends in gender disparities in first and last authorship in the most cited dental publications and general dental literature over a 20-year period. Articles and bibliometric data were retrieved from the Scopus database for the period 1996 to 2015. Two groups of 1000 articles each were retrieved: a random sample and another sample of top-cited articles for each year. The gender of the first and last author of each publication was manually identified. When this was not possible, we used an online software platform (https://genderize.io/). Descriptive analyses identified the proportion of women first and last authors in both samples, stratifying by dental discipline and geographic region. Trends were ascertained by frequency metrics across years. Gender disparity was observed in both first and last authorship, with a larger gap being observed in the top-cited sample. Women led 28.4% and 20.3% of articles in the random and top-cited samples, respectively. A similar pattern was observed for the last authorship group (22.1% and 16.1%, respectively). An increasing trend in the proportion of articles led by women over time was observed in both samples. This increase was larger in the top-cited sample (from 15.0% in 1996-2000 to 25.1% in 2015) than in the random sample (from 26.3% in 1996-2000 to 33.2% in 2011). Clear gender disparities in dental research publications in the last 20 years were identified in both general and top-cited manuscripts, across dental disciplines, across countries, across first and last authorship, and over time. It is paramount that actions are taken to attract, retain and promote women in science, as well as to monitor and ensure progress towards gender equity.

Lesion Stabilization and Tooth Preservation (Lstop) Reflection on Pulp-Therapy-Lstr when Resources are Undersupplied: A Technical Note

The World Health Organization Global Oral Health 2022 report estimated oral disease to be affecting around 3.5 billion people worldwide, where untreated dental caries represents 71% of this estimate. If left untreated, the inevitable pulpal sequalae occur. At our Pediatric dental department, many children attend with extensive carious teeth. This technical note aims to reflect on this realistic demand of pulp therapy needs, for children with extensive carious 2nd primary molars and no 1st permanent molars erupted yet and introduce an innovative modified pulp therapy technique: Lesion Stabilization and Tooth Preservation (LSToP) that aims to stabilize and preserve those teeth, as a natural space maintainer. This technique, if proven beneficial, would add to the dental literature and clinicians another option to preserve teeth as a natural space maintainer, and delay/avoid premature extractions, particularly when supply and resources (dental materials/laboratory and pharmacy) are insufficient.

Anaesthetic efficacy and influence on cardiovascular parameters change of intraosseous computerised anaesthesia versus inferior alveolar nerve block anaesthesia in acute irreversible pulpitis of mandibular molars: study protocol for a prospective randomised controlled trial

BackgroundIrreversible pulpitis is a highly painful inflammatory condition of the dental pulp. The recommended care is the removal of the coronal pulp (pulpotomy) for emergency treatment in multi-rooted teeth. However, achieving adequate analgesia in the case of mandibular molars presents many difficulties according to the dental literature. Intraosseous computerised anaesthesia (ICA), in particular, the QuickSleeper™ system, has already been demonstrated to be clinically efficient, but ICA is known to increase the heart rate reversibly in a manner that depends on the speed of injection. Therefore, accelerated heart rate was examined as a potential adverse effect of this injection. This trial aims to compare the cardiovascular effects and the anaesthetic efficacy of ICA versus inferior alveolar nerve block anaesthesia (IANB) in acute irreversible pulpitis of mandibular molars.MethodsThis study is a non-inferiority prospective, randomised, controlled, single-blind, two-group trial conducted at the Nantes University Hospital. The study design included two parallel arms at a ratio of 1:1 that will allocate seventy-two patients into two groups: the first group will receive QuickSleeper™ intraosseous anaesthesia; the second will receive an inferior alveolar nerve block before emergency treatment (pulpotomy). This study will include patients requiring emergency dental care under local anaesthesia with confirmed irreversible pulpitis in mandibular molars. The primary outcome is the time taken for the fluctuations in the cardiovascular parameters to return to baseline values during endodontic treatment in two different anaesthetic techniques. The secondary outcomes include efficacy of the technique, patient’s pain perception before and after care, any post-operative effects, and factors associated with the delay of recovery of cardiovascular parameters between the 2 anaesthetic techniques.DiscussionThis trial will evaluate the factors associated with heart rate increase during local anaesthesia administration. The use of blood pressure and cardiovascular measurements can be considered an asset and additional safety in managing local anaesthesia. Detecting early signs of potential adverse events (AEs), particularly patients with certain medical conditions (cardiac rhythm disorders), would suggest caution in administering anaesthesia.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03802305 registered January 14, 2019. (version no. 1.2; 5 November 2021)

Commentary.

It was a great tribute to be awarded the 2022 Jay A. Heidbrink Award from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA). As part of that award, it is also my honor to select a “Landmark Article,” a contribution to the dental anesthesia literature that was of significance to the field.I am pleased to choose an article by Norman Trieger, DMD, MD, (1929-2012) published in Anesthesia Progress in 1969. Those of us with greying hair remember Norm as a consummate gentleman and scholar. Younger readers may recognize the name which headlines the Continuing Education Article in each Anesthesia Progress publication.Dr. Trieger, a Phi Beta Kappa at Emory University, completed his dental degree and oral surgery residency at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He subsequently joined the faculty at UCLA before returning to his childhood home in New York City to become the long-standing professor and chairman of the Department of Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also earned his medical degree. Dr. Trieger was a Fellow in General Anesthesia of the ADSA as well as a past president and editor of Anesthesia Progress. He helped develop the first American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines for teaching intravenous (IV) moderate sedation for dentists. He was an early supporter of a specialty in anesthesiology for dentistry, having authored the first ADA specialty application which was not submitted due to opposition from oral surgery at the time.Dr. Trieger was also a prolific researcher. One of his enduring contributions to the field became known as the Trieger Test. The test is a semi-objective measure of psychomotor recovery from sedation or general anesthesia. As this presented article points out, it was a modification of the Bender Motor Gestalt Test. I have used the Trieger Test in several of my own and my graduate students' research projects as new sedatives have been released or different techniques studied to help determine the duration of recovery needed to return to baseline psychomotor function. Oral surgeons, as they were known at the time before “maxillofacial” was added to their name, were really the pioneers of office-based anesthesia and the rapid recovery techniques that we all use today. In the early days, IV barbiturates for deep sedation and general anesthesia were commonly used as sole agents. We speak of the “Wild West” of office-based anesthesia today, but that technique could really lead to an anesthesia rodeo where only tooth extraction could be completed and more delicate dentistry impossible.One of the fascinating aspects of this article to me is that the actual data from the initial study are not presented. The data are referenced from an article in Anesthesia and Analgesia which I found and read. The data is, in fact, included in that article, and much of the same language in the Anesthesia Progress article is taken directly from the Anesthesia and Analgesia article, also co-authored by Dr. Trieger. This is a practice that would surely not be allowed today unless the article was part of a review of other published articles.Dr. Trieger made significant contributions to oral surgery, dental anesthesiology, moderate sedation for general dentists, and to the dental and medical professions. This early manuscript is but a small piece of his legacy.Respectfully submitted,This continuing education (CE) program is designed for dentists who desire to advance their understanding of pain and anxiety control in clinical practice. After reading the designated article, the participant should be able to evaluate and utilize the information appropriately in providing patient care.The American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA) is accredited by the American Dental Association and Academy of General Dentistry to sponsor CE for dentists and will award CE credit for each article completed. You must answer 3 of the 4 questions correctly to receive credit.Submit your answers online at www.adsahome.org. Click on “On Demand CE.”CE questions must be completed within 3 months and prior to the next issue.

In-Vitro Assessment of the Corrosion Potential of an Oral Strain of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria on Metallic Orthodontic Materials.

Orthodontic literature is scant when it comes to microbial corrosion. The oral prevalence of many bacteria which are capable of causing microbial corrosion is reported in the dental literature. The aim of this study is to experimentally determine the corrosive potential of an oral strain of Sulfate-reducing bacteria. Stainless steel (SS) bracket, stainless steel archwire, NiTi archwire, Titanium molybdenum (TMA) archwire, and titanium miniscrew were immersed in five media which included Artificial saliva (group I), Sulfate rich artificial saliva (group II), API agar medium specific for SRB (group III), AS + API medium+ bacterial strain (group IV), SRAS+ API medium+ bacterial strain (group V). The materials were then subjected to Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Materials in groups I, II, and III did not show any surface changes whereas materials in groups IV and V which contained the bacteria showed surface changes which were erosive patches suggestive of corrosion. EDX analyses were in line with similar findings. This in vitro study suggested that the oral strain of Sulfate-reducing bacteria was able to induce corrosive changes in the experimental setup.

Response rates to questionnaire-based studies in the contemporary dental literature: A systematic review

ObjectivesThis systematic review aimed to investigate what is a reasonable response rate for dental questionnaire-based studies in recent literature and to assess the factors that affect the response rates. MethodsWe used MEDLINE/PubMed to search the dental literature of 2021 (January-October). Two reviewers independently assessed studies eligibility and extracted data using standardized electronic extraction form. ResultsOne hundred and seventy-two studies were eligible, of these a total of 149 response rates were reported from 133 studies, whereas the remaining 39 studies were excluded as they did not report response rates. The median response rate across the included studies was 77% (mean = 70.8%). We found significant negative correlation between the response rate and the actual number of distributed questionnaires (sample size) (r = -0.4127; P < 0.001). We also found an association between the response rate and the area of distribution, e.g., national or international (P = 0.0012). However, a wide variation was observed in the quality of information reported within this review and we did not find clear evidence of association between the response rate and other variables such as questionnaire piloting, number of questions in the questionnaire and the journal impact factor. ConclusionsThe findings of this systematic review confirm the association between the response rate and the sample size, where the response rate increases when the sample size less than 300 participants. In addition, a higher response rate could be achieved when the study conducted within the same institution (e.g., university). SignificanceQuestionnaire-based research can provide answers to several questions that could not be answered by other types of research related to the field of dentistry, dental health practitioners and students’ attitudes and behaviours and more. Questionnaire-based publications can effectively contribute to dental research; thus, dental journals should consider development of a minimum set of guidelines in the reporting of questionnaire-based manuscripts.

Systematic Reviews in Dental Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Contribution from Indian Dentists During 1948-2022.

Although systematic reviews (SRs) are the backbone of evidence-based dentistry, they have appeared infrequently in dental literature and their importance may not be recognized by dentists. So, this study aimed to identify SRs in dental research contributed by Indian dentists to the PubMed database during 1948-2022 and describes their epidemiological and descriptive characteristics. An electronic search of the PubMed database was performed from 1948 through September 2022. SRs were considered for inclusion if they were related to oral health and published by Indian dentists as the first author. From this collection, the following characteristics of SRs were described: name of the journal, type of journal (e.g., general dentistry, specialty dentistry, non-dental), year of publication, author's affiliation, and focus of the SR. The search identified 439 SRs in dentistry indexed in the PubMed database during 1948-2022. There were only 5 SRs published from 2007 to 2010 with maximum publications during the year 2021 (n = 114; 25.97%). About 32.35% of the SRs (n = 142) were published in 10 journals with the maximum contribution from the Journal of Conservative Dentistry (n = 22; 5.01%). The majority of the SRs were published in the field of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (n = 72; 16.40%), followed by Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics (n = 63; 14.35%). The contribution of SRs in dental research from India is small but growing. There is a clear need to improve SRs in dental research qualitatively and quantitatively.

Management of Fractured Endodontically Treated Tooth by Fibre Optic Composite Post-Core-Crown: A Case Report

The restoration of endodontically treated tooth is a subject that has been evaluated and discussed widely in the dental literature. The goal of dental treatment is to provide optimal oral health, aesthetics and functions. The successful treatment of a badly broken endodontically treated tooth depends not only on the success of the endodontic treatment but also on good prosthetic reconstruction. The prosthetic treatment on a seriously damaged, endodontically treated tooth often requires an endodontic post as an additional retention element for core build up prior to crown restoration. This case report presents a male patient of 22 years of age with prosthetic crown fracture of endodontically treated maxillary left central incisor tooth. The following clinical case represents the clinical steps involved in the utilization of a fibre-reinforced composite post-core in a maxillary left central incisor and the subsequent treatment with a full veneer crown.&#x0D; Central Medical College Journal Vol 5 No 2 Jul 2021 PP 126-130

Why is there a lack of evidence regarding errors and complications in periodontal and implant therapy?

The occurrence of errors, complications, and adverse effects may occur as a consequence of single or multiple events related to the clinician and/or patient. Apparently, the amount of dental literature on these undesirable outcomes has not been as prolific as that obtained for conventional primary periodontal outcome measures. This review explores the potential reasons for the lack of studies reporting on errors and complications in periodontal and implant therapy, as well as other noteworthy methodological aspects, to enlighten their impact on the selection of the best (or most appropriate) "gold standard" periodontal/implant-related treatment options, and on the overall decision-making process. The following points were addressed: (a) the importance of reporting errors and complications in clinical research; (b) the adequate reporting of errors and complications in periodontology and dental implantology; and (c) efficacy trials vs effectiveness studies and their impact on the assessment and report of periodontal and implant treatment-related risks and complications.

Evaluation of retracted publications in Dentistry: A systematic review

The objective of retracting flawed publications is to maintain the integrity of scientific literature. Retractions in the dental literature have been on the rise in recent years. Hence, we aimed to review retracted articles related to dentistry. A search was conducted of the MEDLINE database for retracted articles in the dental literature published between April 1, 1993 and March 31, 2020. The retracted articles and the notices of retraction were reviewed, and the findings are presented. During the selected period, 143 articles were retracted. Redundant publication (n=50, 35%) was the most common reason for retraction, followed by plagiarism (n=43, 30.1%) and data manipulation (n=42, 29.4%). Around 70.6% (n=101) of retracted articles were original articles. Eight (5.6%) of the articles were single authored. The retracted articles have been cited by about 1300 publications, after the date of publication of the retraction notice. The gap between publication and retraction was longer for funded articles than for non-funded articles, and for articles retracted for data manipulation than for articles retracted for other types of misconduct. Twenty-one journals and nine authors retracted two or more papers. The majority of authors of retracted articles (224, 37%) were from India. Our study showed that the retraction of publications due to misconduct such as duplicate publication, plagiarism, data manipulation is a matter of concern and calls for strict measures to curb the menace of research misconduct.