An Assessment of Reproducibility Crisis in Published Randomised Controlled Trials in Oral Health - An Evaluative Study.

Abstract

Background: An investigation of current reproducibility trends of published dental research can offer invaluable insights concerning their clarity, comprehensiveness, and replicability.

Aim: To identify the presence of reproducibility crises in oral health research based on the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist and to assess factors contributing to the lack of reproducibility.

Materials and methods: The content of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in leading dental journals was evaluated. Stratified random sampling was employed to select oral health journals based on the 2021 journal citation report (JCR) impact factor listing. Two researchers retrieved RCTs from the last two published issues of the selected journals and appraised them for reproducibility and associated factors.

Results: In the 32 issues of the 16 selected journals, researchers published a total of 68 RCTs. The mean Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDier) completion percentage score was 71.85 ± 14.94. Of 68 RCTs, 35 (51.5%) studies were reproducible, and 33 (48.5%) were not reproducible. Studies with a single type of intervention, cross-over designs, and statistically non-significant findings exhibited higher levels of reproducibility ( P < 0.05). Studies involving multiple types of interventions were found to be 9.09 (95% CI: 2.32-35.60) times more likely to be non-reproducible compared to studies with a single type of intervention (reference category).

Conclusion: Oral health RCTs lacked sufficient detailing, thereby decreasing their replicability.