Fifty years of the British / Journal of Orthodontics

It is 50 years since publication of the first volume of the British Journal of Orthodontics (BJO). Now known as the Journal of Orthodontics (JO), the official journal of the British Orthodontic Society strives to published high quality, evidence-based research.

To compare the content of articles published by the BJO in 1973-1974 with those in the JO in 2022-2023 to identify any changes over 50 years.

BJO volume 1 issues 1-5 and JO volume 49 issues 2-4 and volume 50 issues 1-2 were hand-searched and full articles obtained. Some articles were excluded. The included reports were assessed using objective criteria (see Supplemental materials).

Similar proportions of articles reporting the results of studies collecting data directly from participants of orthodontic interest were published (BJO: n = 12, 26%; JO: n = 15, 23%); however, there was an increase in the proportion of articles reporting studies that collected data from a non-orthodontic patient sample (BJO: n = 5, 11%; JO: n = 15, 23%). There was also an increase in the reporting of prospective data collection (BJO: n = 1; 6%; JO: n = 23, 79%), but much of this research was cross-sectional (BJO: n = 8, 50%; JO: n = 20, 69%), using convenience sampling (BJO: n = 13, 81%; JO: n = 23, 79% of articles reporting the results of data collected from human participants). Most research was non-experimental (BJO: n = 16, 100%; JO: n = 26, 90%).

Some similarities in the types of reports published were found, as well as some encouraging differences. Decreasing retrospective data reports and increasing prospective data reports is welcome, but many are still non-experimental and cross-sectional. There is a need to publish more longitudinal, experimental clinical data to enhance knowledge and understanding of the effects of orthodontic treatment.