Perceived barriers to the production of scientific articles among faculty members of some of Iranian dental schools

Objectives To evaluate barriers for production of scientific dental articles by Iranian dental faculty members.Methods An anonymous self-administered questionnaire distributed among faculty members of all dental schools in Iran during June-December 2010. The respondents rated their level of agreement with eleven sentences regarding what they perceive as barriers on scientific dental article production based on a 5-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using Chi-square test.Results Totally, 330 faculty members completed the questionnaires; >50% were men, and >40 year-olds. About three-fourth of the respondents were assistant professor. More than 80% of the respondents reported to have at least one published Persian article and >50% at least one published English article; older faculty members more than younger, and associate professors more than other academic ranks (p<0.01). “No access to an English editing center”, “insufficient skill for scientific writing in English”, “inappropriate condition for writing in dental school”, and “time limit due to high load of clinical work in dental school” were top four rated perceived barriers.Conclusion The concerns of faculty members for the production of scientific dental documents must be considered. Provision of proper time and condition for writing in the dental school, enhancement of their capacity for scientific writing and establishment of an English editing center in each university may facilitate scientific article production

Comparison of Single and Multiple Low-Level Laser Applications After Rapid Palatal Expansion on Bone Regeneration in Rats: Low-Level Laser Therapy After Palatal Expansion

Introduction: This study was performed to compare the effects of single and multiple irradiations of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on bone regeneration in a mid-palatal suture following rapid palatal expansion (RPE).Methods: In this animal study, 40 male Wistar rats underwent RPE for 7 days and were divided into 4 groups including A: single LLLT on day 7, B: Multiple LLLT on days 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15, C: control (no LLLT), and D: sacrificed on day 7. Animals in group D were used to determine the amount of suture expansion. LLLT was done by a diode laser set at an 808 nm wavelength with a useful power output of 100 mW and duration of 0.1 ms. LLLT was applied to three points. After three weeks of retention, the rats were sacrificed and beheaded and the maxilla was evaluated by occlusal radiography, μ-CT, and histomorphometric analyses. A comparison of the mean measurements between the groups was performed using ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test.Results: Based on occlusal radiography and μCT, bone density in group B was significantly higher than group A and group C (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in bone density between group A and group C (P > 0.05). Mean suture width (MSW) in group B was significantly lesser than the control group (P = 0.027) while there was no significant difference between MSWnin groups A and B (P = 0.116) and groups A and C (P = 0.317).Conclusion: It may be concluded that multiple low-power laser irradiation improves bone regeneration after RPE while single irradiation does not have a positive effect