Evidence-based orthodontics. Current statistical trends in published articles in one journal.
OBJECTIVE
To ascertain the number, type, and overall usage of statistics in American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial (AJODO) articles for 2008. These data were then compared to data from three previous years: 1975, 1985, and 2003.


METHODS
The frequency and distribution of statistics used in the AJODO original articles for 2008 were dichotomized into those using statistics and those not using statistics. Statistical procedures were then broadly divided into descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, range, percentage) and inferential statistics (t-test, analysis of variance). Descriptive statistics were used to make comparisons.


RESULTS
In 1975, 1985, 2003, and 2008, AJODO published 72, 87, 134, and 141 original articles, respectively. The percentage of original articles using statistics was 43.1% in 1975, 75.9% in 1985, 94.0% in 2003, and 92.9% in 2008; original articles using statistics stayed relatively the same from 2003 to 2008, with only a small 1.1% decrease. The percentage of articles using inferential statistical analyses was 23.7% in 1975, 74.2% in 1985, 92.9% in 2003, and 84.4% in 2008.


CONCLUSIONS
Comparing AJODO publications in 2003 and 2008, there was an 8.5% increase in the use of descriptive articles (from 7.1% to 15.6%), and there was an 8.5% decrease in articles using inferential statistics (from 92.9% to 84.4%).
Law
Scott V
SV
Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Chudasama
Dipak N
DN
Rinchuse
Donald J
DJ
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D055094:Evidence-Based Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009970:Orthodontics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016008:Statistical Distributions; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric