Current trends of orthodontic research in Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction: Orthodontic research in Pakistan has evolved rapidly in the past decade. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the trends of the research in past 5 years with reference to study type, designs and subject of research.

Material and Methods: Citations of orthodontic articles from 2008-2012 from Pakistan were identified by electronic as well as manual search in major local as well as international databases and journals. All citations were then organized and analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2010 software. The studies were classified on the basis of their designs and topic of interest.

Results: A total of 137 studies were included after screening. Cross-sectional descriptive studies dominated the study designs (43%), while experimental studies were only 12 (8.7%). Cephalograms (33%) and dental casts (22%) were the most common topics of interest, comprising more than half of all the studies, while adhesives based studies were lowest in number (3%).

Conclusions: Cross sectional descriptive studies on cephalometry and dental casts were the most common trends seen in this review, but many deficiencies were also identified. Orthodontic training programs in Pakistan must incorporate more research oriented workshops, continuing education on medical writing and biostatistics and awareness programs for improvement in the quality of orthodontic research.