Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on publication rate in periodontology and implantology in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of publications in the field of periodontology and implantology in Turkey. Material and Methods: A sensitive search strategy was developed to identify relevant articles, focusing on the periodontology and implantology research fields published two years before and after the declaration of the pandemic (March 2020). The search was performed through Web of Science, Medline, SCOPUS and CENTRAL databases. A three-stage screening (titles, abstract, full-text) was carried out in duplicate and independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 382 studies were identified before the pandemic and 307 studies during the pandemic. While there was a downward trend in the number of observational studies (185 vs 168), the number of clinical trials (CCT/RCT) slightly increased compared to the pre-pandemic period (72 vs 74). Conclusion: Limited to the selected period of time (two years) and field, publication rate on periodontology and implantology in Turkey was decreased during the pandemic. Although the present research highlights current trends, large-scale investigations are needed to probe consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on research activities in the long-run (AU).