Dental research related to COVID-19 in Brazil: research presented at the 38th SBPqO Meeting

TL;DR

This study analyzes dental research related to COVID-19 presented at a Brazilian conference, focusing on author demographics and research methods.

Contribution

The paper provides insights into the characteristics and gender distribution of Brazilian dental researchers studying COVID-19.

Findings

Most studies used digital data collection methods, followed by secondary data and in-person methods.

Female researchers were more prevalent in authorship, especially in the Southeast region.

Experienced researchers were more likely to conduct clinical and epidemiological studies.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify and describe the characteristics of
coronavirus (COVID-19)-disease related dental research in Brazil presented at
the 38th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Division of the International
Association for Dental Research (SBPqO). A search was carried out in the
proceedings of the meeting to retrieve all abstracts. Those containing the term
“COVID-19” in titles, abstracts, or keywords, and/or those of which the scope
approached a COVID-19-related topic were included. The variables extracted from
abstracts were: presenter category, field of study, design, data collection
method, population, affiliation, and authors’ gender. Descriptive and
inferential statistics were used, with a significance level of α = 0.05. The
search retrieved 185 abstracts, 5 did not meet study eligibility criteria and
were excluded. COVID-19-related research was presented by either
aspiring/associate members (67.8%) or beginner members (32.2%). Data collection
methods were predominantly digitally mediated (65%), followed by secondary data
use (25%), and in-person data collection (7.2%). Irrespective of the role of
authorship, there were a ratio of two female authors to each male. Among the
last authors, the ratio was three females to each male. Female lead authors more
frequently came from the Southeast region (71.8%; p = 0.470). There was an
association between presenter category and study design (p = 0.012), clinical
and epidemiological studies were more concentrated among experienced presenters.
In conclusion, female dental researchers affiliated to southeastern institutions
approached the topic of pandemic more frequently than male colleagues. The use
of digital technology for data collection may have long-lasting impacts on the
teaching and publication of dental research.

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