Genesis of scientific research directions in dentistry: on the materials of dissertation research

BACKGROUND: In 2022, a new passport of the specialty 3.1.7 “Dentistry” has been introduced with new lines of scientific research; however, no content analysis of previous studies over a long period has been made.

AIM: To examine the genesis of scientific research lines based on dissertation materials in the specialty 14.01.14 (14.00.21) “Dentistry” in 28 years (1993–2020).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study analyzed dissertation abstracts (1993–2020) published in the electronic catalogs of the Russian State Library, Russian National Library, and Central Scientific Medical Library. The results were checked for the normalcy of the location of markers. Arithmetical means and their errors are presented in the text. The development of scientific research lines has been explored statistically, and a second-order polynomial trend was built.

RESULTS: The study identified 5773 dissertation abstracts in the specialty 14.01.14 (14.00.21) “Dentistry,” submitted to the dissertation councils of the USSR (Russia) in 1993–2020. They accounted for approximately 5.8% of all medical dissertations in Russia. In total, 610 (10.5%) dissertations for the doctor of medicine and 5163 (89.5%) for the candidate of medicine were found. The average annual array was 206 ± 15, including candidate ones with 184 ± 14, and doctorate ones with 22 ± 1. Moreover, 24.2% of the works were at the science intersection (in two specialties). Generally, polynomial trends in the number of dissertations and indicators of scientific research lines were associated with inverted U-curves with maximum data in 2004–2009, and with data decrease in the last monitoring period, it generally reflected the training development of highly qualified specialists in Russia.

CONCLUSION: The content analysis of the dissertations revealed the genesis of dentistry-leading knowledge, which can help scientists avoid parallel or dead-end studies when planning their work.