How well are dental qualitative studies involving interviews and focus groups reported?

Qualitative research is being increasingly ingrained within dentistry. The aim of the study was to assess whether recent qualitative studies involving interviews and focus groups in the dental literature comply with the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist.

Qualitative studies in dentistry, involving interviews and focus groups with patients, parents or caregivers published between January 2017 and June 2018 were identified through electronic and hand searching with no language restrictions. The characteristics of the included studies and adherence to the COREQ checklist were assessed.

A total of 7137 studies were identified. Following initial screening, 244 full-text articles were obtained; of these, 100 met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the identified studies were in the field of dental public health (30%) with just half published in dental journals. The median sample size was 20 participants (IQR 38.5). Data analysis was most commonly undertaken using thematic analysis or the framework approach 59% (53/90), with purposive sampling used in 54% (36/67) of those describing sampling methods. On average, 17 (±5.3) of 32 of the COREQ checklist items were presented within the individual studies. Overall, the quality of reporting of individual studies was typically categorised as either moderate (51%) or poor (34%).

As qualitative research in dentistry becomes more established, improved adherence to the COREQ checklist should be encouraged to ensure transparent reporting, in order to maximally influence the delivery of care, policy and clinical practice.