ARE WE ADEQUATELY REPORTING RESEARCH IN PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY?
JAYAKUMAR JAYARAMAN
Dr. Jayaraman is American Board certified Pediatric Dentist. He received his residency training and master’s degree in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Hong Kong. Following this, he obtained PhD degree in Dental Forensics in collaboration with the King’s College of London, England. Dr. Jayaraman is also a Diplomate in Pediatric Dentistry and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Scotland where he serves as an Examiner. He moved to the United States in 2019 and received his second residency and master’s degree in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Texas Health School of Dentistry, San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Jayaraman is a clinician, academic and prolific researcher. For the past 10 years, he has taught Pediatric Dentistry and mentored research projects for pre-doctoral, post-doctoral, and PhD students. His research involves topics in Evidence-Based Dentistry, Human Biology, Anthropology, and Forensic Dentistry. He has published over 75 peer-reviewed scientific articles and serves as an editorial board member of leading pediatric, and forensic journals. He is a member of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Committee of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry that develops guidelines on best clinical practices. Dr. Jayaraman is currently Associate Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, VCU School of Dentistry, Richmond, Virginia. He also works part-time at a pediatric dental practice in Williamsburg, Virginia.
ABSTRACT
Evidence‐based practice allows clinicians and patients to make informed decisions based on the best available evidence. To enable decision making in clinical practice, the research must be reported clearly, transparently, and provide sufficient information to the readers. It is important to adhere to the methodological rigor of the study design, but it is also imperative to report all elements of the findings without any bias. Several guidelines have been developed to inform authors on transparent reporting of research, for example, strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) for observational studies, Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) for randomized clinical trials, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for systematic reviews, amongst others. Most of the leading journals in pediatric dentistry have endorsed reporting guidelines and their extension specific to different study designs. However, recent research has shown that reporting quality of studies published in Pediatric Dentistry is still suboptimal. The first part of the lecture will focus on current trends, practices, and discrepancies in reporting research in various study designs in Pediatric Dentistry, and the second part will emphasize on the latest guidelines and standards that are available for reporting research in Pediatric Dentistry.
