Following the trend in maxillofacial surgery literature

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Scientific Publishing Trends

Background:

• Evidence-based medicine integrates research, clinical expertise, and patient values.
• The hierarchy of evidence guides clinicians in assessing research quality and applicability.
• Improving research quality in oral and maxillofacial surgery enhances patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze publication trends in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (BJOMS) and the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (IJOMS) from 2010-2019.
• To compare current trends with data from 2000-2009.
• To identify common topics for meta-analysis and the prevalence of qualitative studies.

Main Methods:

• A review of 4931 articles published in BJOMS and IJOMS between January 2010 and December 2019.
• Analysis of article types, focusing on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, case series, and case reports.
• Summarization of topics selected for meta-analysis and the number of qualitative studies.

Main Results:

• An increase in randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses compared to the previous decade.
• A decrease in the publication of case series and case reports.
• Implantology and dentoalveolar surgery emerged as the most frequent topics for meta-analysis.

Conclusions:

• The maxillofacial surgery literature demonstrates a trend towards higher methodological quality.
• These advancements support the principles of evidence-based medicine in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
• The findings provide direction for future research to further enhance the quality of scientific literature.