key: cord-0046425-exia2d7i
authors: nan
title: Views from around the world
date: 2020-06-26
journal: Evid Based Dent
DOI: 10.1038/s41432-020-0106-6
sha: 7a833c0a19f9aa453f467086f87147b4b651fdb2
doc_id: 46425
cord_uid: exia2d7i

nan

The COVID-19 pandemic and dentistry: is there a bright side?

The scientific literature has been overwhelmed with publications on the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent study we measured that half of all articles published in the first 3 months of this pandemic consisted of secondary articles, that is, non-original research, such as reviews and editorials. 1 In this context it is obvious that another secondary article like this editorial should never be written. The pandemic is sure to have personal, social and economic impacts on individuals and communities across the globe, and amid many uncertainties, we will need to consider how we will act both as individuals and as a profession. Dentistry will need to unite, and act together, and become a more global community. Together we will have to develop global policies regarding personal biosafety, and we will need to work together in both research and practice, worldwide, to develop and implement new guidelines for the profession. So, it is my hope that the glimpse of the future legacy of this pandemic and its effect on us personally and professionally, will help us to be better prepared to deal with this and with other threats that may eventually arise.

Indeed the world has witnessed an As the saying goes, 'the show must go on', and it will. The backdrop and the costumes will change but dentists will persevere to improve the oral health of millions across the globe.

Systematic reviews have increasingly I hope that during and after this pandemic, the community will rise to the challenge on building an infrastructure and expertise to conduct evidence synthesis and reflect whether we need to reconsider our approach to research prioritisation in dentistry to be more responsive to changing situations like the current pandemic.

Characteristics of scientific articles on COVID-19 published during the initial three months of the pandemic: a meta-epidemiological study

Are medical conferences useful? And for whom?