Comparative assessment of scientific reach and utilization of the International Association of Dental Traumatology 2020 guidelines: An altmetric and citation analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The updated version of the International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines was published online in May 2020 in the form of four papers. They are extensively used in dental trauma education in textbooks, undergraduate and postgraduate programs, and clinical workshops. Hence, this study aimed to assess the impact, global scientific reach, and utilization of these guidelines through altmetric and citation analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The protocol was prepared after an expert group discussion. Dimensions database was used to derive the altmetric and citation data on April 10th, 2023. The data was extracted by using a self-designed pre-piloted form by two authors independently. The citing articles were further categorized into the type of study and the domains and subdomains of dental traumatology. The VOSviewer program was utilized to explore the correlation between the subdomains and the overlap of citations was assessed by creating a citation matrix. RESULTS: A total of 552 citations had been collectively received by the four papers. The highest was seen for the guidelines for fracture and luxation in permanent teeth (FL), avulsion in permanent teeth (AV), general introduction (GI), and primary teeth (PT). Dental Traumatology had the maximum number of citing papers for each guideline. They were from 52 countries with English being the commonest language. Overall, the maximum number of citations had been received in narrative reviews (n = 104) and the majority of cited papers were categorized in the therapeutic domains. The most common subdomain for the papers that cited GI, FL, and AV was "treatment protocols in permanent teeth", while it was "awareness of prevention and emergency management of traumatic dental injuries" for the papers that had cited PT. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis highlighted that the IADT 2020 guidelines are globally popular resources, which are widely used by the researchers across specialities and are intended towards clinical application.

Anatomical and Histological Characteristics of Prematurely Erupted Teeth in Newborns.

Purpose: To assess the characteristics of dental hard and soft tissue structures of prematurely erupted teeth in newborns. Methods: Extracted natal and neonatal teeth were assessed in ground sections for evaluation of enamel, dentin, dentino-enamel junction and cementoenamel junction. Soft tissue harvested was histologically analyzed for cellularity, vascularity and other characteristics of the dental pulp. Results: This study included 15 teeth from nine neonates, of which seven erupted at birth, eight erupted within the first month of birth. All erupted in the mandibular anterior region. The demineralized ground section revealed enamel cracks, a straight dentinoenamel junction, and S-shaped dentinal tubules along with the enamel lamellae, and enamel spindle. None of the samples showed enamel tuft or cementum. Histology of soft tissue revealed enhanced cellularity, vascularity without any fibrosis, calcification and inflammation when compared with the young healthy pulp in permanent teeth. Conclusion: The prematurely erupted teeth in newborns were almost exclusively rootless and exhibited the characteristic anatomical findings pertaining to enamel, dentin, dentinoenamel junction and cementoenamel junction. The histology of their dental pulp was characterized by increased cellularity and vascularity compared.