Conflict of interest policies should be better reported in dental journals

The relationship among industry, scientific investigators and academic institutions is complex and conflicts of interest may arise. A conflict of interest is a set of conditions in which professional judgment about a primary interest (such as a patient's welfare or the validity of research) is unduly influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain).¹ In other words, a conflict of interest occurs when financial gain or prestige² may affect research results. For example, studies³⁻⁵ suggest that industry-sponsored research tends to yield pro-industry conclusions. Other studies suggest that negative results of trials supported by profit-based organizations may not be published or their publication may be delayed.³ For these reasons, scientific journals should have clear conflict of interest policies and readers should be allowed full and complete access to this information. This way, interested readers can better understand the relationship of all parties involved in the project and make their own judgment about the effect of a potential conflict of interest on the study results.