Methodological heterogeneity in dental fluorosis investigations: a critical review

Authors

  • Mohammad Hossein Khoshnevisan Preventive Dentistry Research Center, Research Institute of Dental Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • Mohammad Reza Nokhostin Restorative Dentistry Department, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • Behrooz Namvar Community Oral Health Department School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • Seyed Hadi Sajjadi Orthodontics Department, Dental Branch, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • Mina Pakkhesal Community Oral Health Department, School of Dentistry, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a comprehensive and critical review of pertinent literature concerning dental fluorosis in order to examine the methodology used in different studies and report the potential sources of heterogeneity among identified reports.
Methods The PubMed database was searched using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for articles in English language, published between
January 2000 and December 2016. The search was limited to human studies and having abstract available. Subsequently, potential sources of heterogeneity were categorized.
Results Through PubMed search, a total of 56 articles were selected out of 2369 initially identified papers. Subsequently, 17 out of the 56 articles were excluded due to being irrelevant or no full text available. Likewise, genetic studies, in-vitro reports and those studies with no evidence of association were excluded as well. Therefore, 39 remaining articles were critically analyzed in order to identify the potential sources of heterogeneity in dental fluorosis studies. Quality assessment of the reviewed papers demonstrated the following categories as potential sources of heterogeneity in dental fluorosis investigations: “Different methods of fluoride exposure by childrenâ€, “Different characteristics of study samples under investigationâ€, “Methodological flaws in the fluorosis research designâ€.
Conclusion Given the existing methodological heterogeneity, a consensus development is highly crucial for the standard diagnosis of fluorosis and improvement in homogeneity in future fluorosis investigations globally.
Keywords dental, enamel, fluorosis, dental fluorosis, methodology

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Published

2017-09-26

How to Cite

Khoshnevisan, M. H., Nokhostin, M. R., Namvar, B., Sajjadi, S. H., & Pakkhesal, M. (2017). Methodological heterogeneity in dental fluorosis investigations: a critical review. Journal of Contemporary Medical Sciences, 3(11), 253–259. Retrieved from https://www.jocms.org/index.php/jcms/article/view/220

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 11 (2017): Summer 2017

Section

Review

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