The Association of Research Quantitative Measures With Faculty Ranks of Australian and New Zealand Dental Schools.

INTRODUCTION: The scholarly productivity of a faculty member can be measured through several indicators including annual appraisals, feedback, and the number of publications per year. The present study aims to assess the association of quantitative research measures and academic ranks in Australian and New Zealand dental schools. METHODS: It was an analytical observational cross-sectional study. Full-time faculty members working in Australia and New Zealand's dental schools were discovered on official websites. Various bibliometric parameters including h-index, total number of citations, total number of publications, and maximum number of sources of a single publication were analyzed. Spearman rank correlation was used to determine the correlation between bibliometric variables and academic ranks (lecturer, assistant professor, professor). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare bibliometric parameters among departments (Basic and Clinical) and gender (male and female). RESULTS: Through the present search strategy, 207 full-time faculty members were identified, of which 12 were from New Zealand, and 195 were from Australia. Among them, 130 (62.8%) were male and 70 (33.8%) were female faculty members. There was a positive correlation of all bibliometric parameters with academic ranks (p = 0.001). There was no statistical difference between the two countries for academic parameters (p > 0.05). Male faculty members showed significantly higher academic productivity than female members in Australian dental schools (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: These bibliometric parameters and other educational parameters can be considered for determining faculty promotions. These bibliometric parameters appear to be suitable metrics for assessing research productivity, impact, and visibility.

Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Hair Shaft Damage Secondary to Cosmetic Treatments of the Hair.

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND: Cosmetic procedures for hair, such as bleaching, dyeing, and straightening, are commonly used around the world. It has been suggested that excessive use of such procedures can cause damage to the hair shaft. We aimed to assess hair shaft changes using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in female volunteers who frequently use hair treatment procedures such as bleaching, dyeing, or straightening. METHODS: A cross-sectional, controlled study in a sample of 25 female volunteers (19 study group and 6 controls) in the age group of 18-45 years. The study group was composed of volunteers who regularly used different cosmetic hair treatment procedures such as bleaching, dyeing, and straightening (any one of these or a combination). The control group had never used any specific hair treatment procedure. The hair shaft damage as seen on SEM was assessed using a standardized scoring system and compared among the two groups statistically. The hair shafts were also examined clinically and with light microscopy. RESULTS: No significant differences were seen between the test and control groups with regard to normal clinical examination and light microscopy findings. A higher degree of hair shaft damage was evident under SEM in the study group as compared to the control group. This difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Regular use of procedures such as bleaching, dyeing, or straightening can lead to subtle changes in the hair shaft which can be detected early by SEM.