Bibliometric report of authorship trends in a professional journal- An update.

Background: With rising trends in research and scientific writing, various ethical organizations have been vigilant over developing rigorous authorship criteria. There may be times, when authors tend to publish more due to their seniority or previously earned credit for former publications, proving the existence of Matthew effect in scientific research. It indicates that the majority of publications in a field are contributed by smaller number of authors. It was hypothesized that the Matthew effect may be still applicable for scientific work published by Indian pediatric dentists in the official Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (JISPPD) from 2015 to 2019. Methodology: To assess the number of times each author has published in the official Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, we downloaded all issues for the 5-year period from the journal website. Full names of all authors were entered year-wise in Microsoft Excel 2007 and descriptive statistics were used for finding out contribution percentages. Results: A total of 372 papers were published during the study period by 1148 authors. About 82% had at least one publication, followed by 12% publishing at least two papers; only 1% of the total authors had contributed to more than five publications. The result showed the absence of Matthew effect for publications in the JISPPD. Conclusion: The final results of the study did not show any presence of Matthew effect among authorship in the JISPPD.

Authors submission guidelines, a survey of pediatric dentistry journals regarding ethical issues.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the pattern of instructions regarding the ethical requirements given to authors in various Pediatric Dental Journals. MATERIAL & METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 'instructions for authors,' for analysis of guidelines on ethical processes, was done. Instructions to authors in journals of pediatric dentistry across the globe were reviewed for guidelines with regards to fourteen key ethical issues. Descriptive statistics were used, and results were expressed in percentages as well as numbers. RESULTS: Of the 18journals of pediatric dentistry, all 14 ethical issues were covered by the instructions to authors in only three journals with only 50% of these providing clarity about authorship using ICMJE guidelines. Furthermore, COI declaration was found to be present as mandatory in about 44% of the journals. 38.9% of the sampled journals mentioned guidelines on research misconduct, publication issues such as plagiarism, overlapping/fragmented publications, and availability of raw research data from authors. Guidelines on handling of complaints about editorial team was provided to authors by slightly over 33% of the selected pediatric dentistry titles while handling of complaints about authors and reviewers were mentioned in 16.7%and 55.6% of the journals respectively. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of Journals of Pediatric Dentistry did not provide adequate instructions to authors regarding ethical issues.

A survey of training in leadership abilities and professional expectations among heads of pediatric dentistry departments in dental institutions of India.

PURPOSE: A web-based questionnaire survey was undertaken among the heads of pediatric dentistry departments to find out trainings received, participation in administrative responsibilities, expectations, stress related to the position, and overall satisfaction levels in dental institutes of India. METHODOLOGY: An online survey was sent to 188 heads of the pediatric dentistry after formulating and piloting the questionnaire. A descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS version 18.0. RESULTS: Fifty-seven males and 43 females, making a total of 100 responses were received, making 53.2% response rate. The main issues came out to be lack of adequate training about the leadership role of heads and inadequate participation in major administrative activities related to department. The stress was primarily due to extensive paperwork, meetings, and effect on interpersonal relationships. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded that the respondents were not having a free hand in handling respective departments and there had been lack of formal trainings about leadership abilities and other soft skills before being appointed as head of the department.

Evaluation of indirect pulp capping using three different materials: A randomized control trial using cone-beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the most suitable material for indirect pulp treatment (IPT) clinically and to determine the thickness (in mm) and type of tissue in terms of radiodensity (in Hounsfield units [HU]) formed after pulp capping using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal interventional single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 94 children (7-12 years) with a deep carious lesion in one or more primary second molar and permanent first molar without the history of spontaneous pain indicated for indirect pulp capping (IPC) procedure. About 109 teeth were treated using three materials, namely, calcium hydroxide (setting type), glass ionomer cement (Type VII), and mineral trioxide aggregate randomly. The teeth were followed up at an interval of 8 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year for success of IPT as per the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry clinical criteria. For determining the thickness and type of dentin tissue formed, a CBCT scan was done immediately postoperative and another scan at an interval of 6 months. The scans were compared to evaluate the average thickness of the dentin bridge formed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Success rate for IPC was 96.85%. A significant difference was obtained in the average thickness of reparative dentin at immediate postoperative and 6-month postoperative values in all three groups suggesting distinct barrier formation. Similar significant findings were obtained in radiodensity of barrier formed (in HU). All three materials were found to be equally suitable as IPC agents suggesting mineral gain.

Low Level Laser Therapy: A Panacea for oral maladies.

AIM: To review the applications of low level laser therapy on various soft and hard oral tissues. A variety of therapeutic effects of Low Level Laser Therapy have been reported on a broad range of disorders. It has been found amenably practical in dental applications including soft as well as hard tissues of the oral cavity. LLLT has been found to be efficient in acceleration of wound healing, enhanced remodelling and bone repair, regeneration of neural cells following injury, pain attenuation, endorphin release stimulation and modulation of immune system. The aforementioned biological processes induced by Low level lasers have been effectively applied in treating various pathological conditions in the oral cavity. With is article, we attempt to review the possible application of Low Laser Therapy in the field of dentistry.

A new approach to facilitate apexogenesis using soft tissue diode laser.

Traumatic injuries occur commonly in children and adolescents and the prevalence of such injuries has increased over the last decade. Such injuries may result in pulpal exposure, which can endanger tooth vitality. Therefore, the treatment for such injuries should be carefully planned so as to preserve the pulp vitality. Teeth with immature roots pose a great challenge for the clinician and procedures like pulpotomy may prove effective as a treatment strategy. Such procedure may ensure continued root development and apexogenesis. Lasers have varied applications in the dental practice such as oral surgical procedures, cavity preparation, disinfection etc. This article is a case report on the use of diode laser for pulpotomy in a young permanent tooth with traumatically exposed pulp in an 8-year-old male.

Trends in authorship in an Indian pediatric dentistry journal: relevance of matthew effect.

INTRODUCTION: The maxim "rich get richer and the poor get poorer" forms the basis for Matthew effect in Science. Our goal of conducting this study was to test the hypothesis that the gap in number of publications between renowned, older authors and newer authors amongst Indian pediatric dentists widens over time as stated by the Matthew effect and possible trends in publication in Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry (JISPPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was hypothesized that the Matthew effect is applicable to the work published by Indian Pedodontists in the official publication of Indian Society of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry (ISPPD). The names of the authors in JISPPD from 1996 to 2011 were recorded year wise and the data was entered in Microsoft excel 2007 and analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The study revealed that there were a total of 823 papers published in JISPPD during the study period (1996 to 2011) by 1142 authors. 71.6% authors had contributed only one paper and 14.4% authors had contributed two papers during the study period. Only 0.6% authors had contributed to 20 or more papers. The results revealed evidence of Matthew effect for publications in JISPPD and the effect is relatively large. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that the Matthew effect is prevalent in the publication trends in JISPPD.

Oral health in children with leukemia.

Leukemia is one of the most common malignancies affecting children in India. These children usually suffer from various oral complications, which may be due to the leukemia or due to the chemotherapeutic agents and/or radiotherapy. The complications may include some of the opportunistic infections like candidiasis, herpes simplex; hemorrhage, mucositis, taste alterations and increased incidence of dental caries etc. These complications can cause significant morbidity and mortality in the patients. The aim of this review is to summarize the various oral complications in these children and the methods of prevention and management.