title: Further statistics in dentistry Part 8: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
abstract: A systematic review of research evidence is an efficient approach to integrating existing information, invariably a multiplicity of published articles, with a view to establishing whether the scientific findings are consistent. If so, it may be possible to draw conclusions and make recommendations about treatment regimens or observed effects which have greater credence than those obtained from individual studies. The systematic review relies on a specified checklist which determines which articles should be included in the review, and how each should be critically appraised to provide relevant information relating to the focus of the review.
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer in Statistics, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petrie
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bulman
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Osborn
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D015982:Bias; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D019992:Databases as Topic; D018865:Dental Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome