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Benchmarking the clinical orthodontic evidence on Medline
R L Sun1, S Conway, S Zawaideh
1Office of Evidence-Based Dentistry, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
The Angle Orthodontist
|January 4, 2001
Summary
This study assessed orthodontic literature for evidence-based decision-making. Findings show a growing body of research, but its distribution makes staying current challenging, highlighting the need for clinical knowledge systems.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics
- Evidence-Based Dentistry
- Medical Informatics
Background:
- Clinical decision-making in orthodontics relies on accessible, high-quality research.
- Identifying and quantifying the available orthodontic literature is crucial for evidence-based practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and quantify the availability of orthodontic literature for evidence-based clinical decision-making.
- To establish a foundation for developing online decision analysis systems in orthodontics.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive search strategy using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for orthodontics was developed.
- MEDLINE database was searched using the Ovid Web Gateway with methodologic filters.
- Results were analyzed by year, publication source, and clinical category (etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis).
Main Results:
- Between 1990-1998, 6938 English-language orthodontic articles were identified.
- The number of relevant articles increased annually by 14-21%.
- Literature distribution across etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis was relatively balanced, though concentrated in a few journals.
Conclusions:
- A substantial and growing body of clinically relevant orthodontic literature exists.
- The scattered nature of publications necessitates efficient methods for staying current.
- The findings support the development of computer-based clinical knowledge systems for orthodontics.