Review of the 1994 dental materials literature

Dental materials citations: Part A, January to June 1997

OBJECTIVE

A search was conducted in biomedical journals published from January 1997 to June 1997 to identify all dental materials publications and sort them into major categories.

METHODS

Tables of contents for 79 journals for the period of January to June, 1997 were inspected and divided into 17 categories. Citations were analyzed by both frequency in journals and in categories, as well as compared to frequencies for previous years.

RESULTS

A total of 445 citations were detected in 79 journals for the period January 1997 to June 1997. Certain journals (n = 19) demonstrated a higher citation frequency (> or = 10 citations for 6 months) and represented 77.8% of all citations. The greatest number of citations continued to involve bonding (n = 97), resin-based restorative materials (composites; glass ionomers) (n = 95), prosthodontic materials (n = 51), and pulp protection/luting materials (n = 48). Frequencies by category were very similar to those for the last four years.

SIGNIFICANCE

The compiled literature citations provide a supplement for researchers and academicians seeking information in existing electronic databases.

An update on fixed prosthodontics

The practice of fixed prosthodontics has continually evolved as a result of progress in laboratory and biomaterials science, clinical technologies and adjunctive multidisciplinary treatment advancements. This brief review describes those enhancements and how they affect the state-of-the-art practice of fixed prosthodontics.

Dental materials citations: Part B, July to December 1996

OBJECTIVE

A search was conducted in biomedical journals from July 1996 to December 1996 to identify dental materials publications and sort them into major categories. They were compared by frequency in different journals and in different categories during recent years.

METHODS

Tables of contents for 16 primary and 51 secondary journals were inspected from July to December of 1996 and were divided into 17 categories. The frequencies of citations for primary journals and for different citation categories were examined over a four-year period from 1993 to 1996.

RESULTS

There were 334 total citations from July to December 1996. The greatest number of citations continued to involve bonding (n = 159) and resin-based (composites; glass ionomers) restorative materials (n = 158). The numbers of articles by journal and by category were very similar over the last four years. The average number of articles per year was 531 +/- 15.

SIGNIFICANCE

The literature citations compiled in this list provide a supplement for researchers and academicians to the current electronic databases.

Dental materials citations: Part A, January to June 1996

OBJECTIVE

A search was conducted to identify the dental materials publications that appeared in biomedical journals from January 1996 to June 1996 and to compare the frequency of citations among the different categories.

METHODS

The tables of contents of 16 primary journals and 48 secondary journals were examined to identify dental materials articles that were published from January to June 1996. These citations were divided into 17 categories and the numbers of citations in each category were compared. To assess the usefulness of the citation listing, a survey of Academy of Dental Materials subscribers was conducted (n = 153 of 382 or 40.1% have responded to date).

RESULTS

As in previous years, the greatest number of citations were found in categories of bonding (n = 83) and resin-based restorative materials such as composites and resin-reinforced glass ionomers (n = 80). Results of the reader survey indicated that 84.3% of the respondents have used the citations lists, and 95.4% feel that its publication should be continued.

SIGNIFICANCE

The literature compiled in this list serves to supplement the electronic indexing mechanisms so that academicians and researchers can have ready access to the current literature in the field of dental materials.

Review of dental materials citations: Part B, July to December 1995

OBJECTIVE

A lag of many months occurs between journal issue publication and updates to electronic databases. The objective of this literature analysis was to identify and categorize all of the dental materials citations in biomedical journals that were published from July 1995 through December 1995.

METHODS

Seventeen primary and 51 secondary journals were searched using their tables of contents to detect and record dental materials publications from July to December of 1995. Those journals that were typically rich in dental materials articles were classified as primary ones. Citations were categorized into 17 topics and divided into subsections. The review excluded case reports, most literature related primarily to dental implants, and most articles on biomedical materials used outside of the field of general dentistry.

RESULTS

The greatest number of citations was related to topics of dentin bonding and resin-based restorative filling materials (composites and glass ionomers). There was no major change in the number of dental materials publications per year reported from 1993 (n = 786) to 1995 (n = 751).

SIGNIFICANCE

This citation list provides a comprehensive resource for use by academicians and researchers to bridge the gap between initial publication and access to electronic searching methods for major databases.

Review of dental materials citations: Part A, January to June 1995

OBJECTIVE

Electronic databases are an excellent resource for identifying relevant references for research and education projects. However, these databases are not yet a substitute for direct inspection of the literature because: (a) there still is a lag of many months between journal issue publication and updates of the database, and (b) most databases selectively report a portion of the entire literature. The objective was to identify and categorize all the dental materials citations in biomedical journals that were published from January 1995 through June 1995.

METHODS

Seventeen primary and 56 secondary dental journals were manually searched via their tables of contents to detect dental materials publications from January to June of 1995. Dental materials citations were categorized into 17 major sections and further divided into several subsections. The review excluded case reports and literature primarily related to dental implants or biomedical materials outside of dentistry.

RESULTS

Three hundred-sixty-nine citations were identified. The greatest number of citations were associated with dentin bonding, composites, and glass ionomers. There was no significant increase in dental materials publications vs. the number reported for 1994.

SIGNIFICANCE

This list provides a comprehensive source for review by academicians and researchers to bridge the gap between initial publication and electronic citation.