Evidence Base for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Journals
An interesting articled titled “The evidence base for oral and maxillofacial surgery: 10-year analysis of two journals,” appeared in the January 2012 edition of the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (vol. 50, issue 1, pages 45-48) wirrten by Amandip Sandhu. The author opens by discussing an editorial in the Lancet in 1996 which discussed how there is a lack of scientific rigor in surgical research. The author states “There is a well established hierarchy of levels of evidence, and the medical community considers that meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the most scientifically stringent means of investigating the efficacy of one intervention against another. Other grades of evidence (in increasing weakness of level of evidence) are case controlled studies, comparative studies, case series, correlation studies and expert committee reports, and the clinical experiences of respected authorities.” The … Read more