Woman authorship in pre-print versus peer-reviewed oral health-related publications: A two-year observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Women in oral health science face similar societal issues and challenges as those in other STEMM careers, and gender disparities continue to exist as evidenced by fewer women represented as first and last authors in scientific publications. Pre-prints may serve as a conduit to immediately disseminating one's work, bypassing the arduous peer review process and its associated inherent biases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1] compare the gender of first and last authors in pre-print versus peer reviewed publications, 2] examine the composition of first and last author pairs as stratified by publication type, and 3] examine the correlation between woman authorship and institutional geographic location and publication metrics stratified by publication type. METHODS: The keyword "oral health" was used to search for publications in BioRxiv and Pubmed in the years 2018 and 2019. Gender of first and last authors were determined, and its frequency was considered as the primary outcome. Additionally, the geographic location of the author's associated institution and publication metrics measured by Altmetrics score were extracted. Data was descriptively summarized by frequencies and percentages. Chi-square analysis was conducted for categorical variables which included the relationship between gender and publication type as well as gender and region of author's associated institution. Binomial regression analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between gender and Altmetrics. RESULTS: Woman first authors comprised 40.3% of pre-prints and 64.5% of peer reviewed publications [p<0.05]. Woman last authors comprised 31.3% of pre-prints and 61.5% of peer reviewed publications [p<0.05]. When analyzing the relationships between first and last author, the Man-Man pairing represented 47.7% of the pre-print publications and the Woman-Woman pairing comprised a majority of the of the peer review publications at 47.5%. All results were statistically significant with a p-value <0.05. No significant correlation was found between region of institution or Altmetrics and gender of first or last authors [p>0.05]. CONCLUSION: For the first time in oral health science, it was found that women show higher representation as first and last author positions in peer reviewed publications versus pre-prints.

Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) and insertional torque (IT) stability comparisons of implants placed using osteotomes versus drilling techniques: A preliminary case study.

OBJECTIVE: Poor bone density in the posterior maxilla often presents challenges in achieving implant stability. Insertional torque (IT) and resonance frequency analysis (RFA) have been used to objectively monitor the process of osseointegration. This study was designed to quantitatively assess the primary and secondary stability of fixtures placed using the osteotome or conventional drilling technique, in soft bone. The study also assessed if there was a correlation between IT and RFA measurements. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Sixteen implants of a standardized dimension were randomly assigned to two groups: osteotome or conventional drilling. IT was taken at the time of placement. RFA was recorded at baseline and 30, 60, and 90 days. RESULTS: Average IT and RFA were 36 Ncm (range 25-45 Ncm) and 61.5 implant stability quotient (ISQ; range 44-72 ISQ), respectively. RFA in the osteotome group increased from day 0 to day 30 (63.5 to 68.0 ISQ) whereas it decreased in the conventional drilling group (65.9 to 56.6 ISQ). At 90 days, both groups showed similar results. No statistically significant difference between IT and RFA was found across all time intervals. CONCLUSION: IT and ISQ values were shown to fluctuate depending on various local anatomical factors such as density of the bone. Additional clinical and radiographic studies are needed in type 1 to 4 bone to determine the utilization of RFA and IT for routine implant surgery. Adequate stability measurements are critical for implant placement. Future guidelines and knowledge of stability and bone density values may help in establishing loading protocols and improving success rate.

Conventional SLA and chemically modified SLA implants in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus--a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for a chemically modified Sand blasted, Large grit, Acid etched (SLA) surface, compared with a conventional SLA surface, to enhance implant healing and integration in poorly controlled diabetic patients, a group previously demonstrated to have compromises and delays in implant stabilization during the metabolically active healing period following implant placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study enrolled 24 patients with type 2 diabetes, baseline HbA1c levels between 7.5-11.4%, and a minimum of two posterior mandibular tooth sites at least 4 months following extraction and appropriate for implant placement. Each patient, at a randomly selected site, received an implant with the conventional SLA surface; at the second site, the patient received an implant with the chemically modified SLA (modSLA) surface. Thus, 48 study implants were placed. Implant stability was assessed using Resonance Frequency Analysis (RFA). Readings were taken from the buccal and proximal directions for each implant. Implant stability (ISQ) was assessed at the time of surgical placement (baseline) and 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 weeks following implant placement. RESULTS: No significant differences in implant stability were observed between conventional SLA implants and modSLA implants, and the time courses of implant stabilization following implant placement were similar for the two implant types. Baseline ISQ and minimum ISQ was slightly higher in subjects with higher HbA1c levels, but were similar during 12-16 weeks following implant placement. Forty-seven (98%) of the 48 implants were determined to be successfully osseointegrated and continued to restoration. CONCLUSION: Implant stabilization was similar for the conventional SLA and chemically modified SLA implants in type 2 diabetic patients with relatively poor glycemic control. Furthermore, this study demonstrated clinically successful implant placement even in poorly controlled diabetic patients.