title: Assessing the reporting quality in abstracts of randomized controlled trials in leading journals of oral implantology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Abstracts of randomized clinical trials are extremely important as trial appraisal is often based on the information included here. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of the reporting of RCT abstracts in journals of Oral Implantology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six leading Implantology journals were screened for RCTs between years 2008 and 2012. A 21-item modified CONSORT for abstracts checklist was used to examine the completeness of abstract reporting. Descriptive statistics and linear regression modeling were employed for data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and sixty three RCT abstracts were included in this study. The majority of the RCTs were published in the Clinical Oral Implants Research (42.9%). The mean overall reporting quality score was 58.6% (95% CI: 57.6-59.7). The highest score was noted in the European Journal of Oral Implantology (63.8%; 95% CI: 61.8-65.8). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that abstract quality score was related to publication journal and number of research centers involved. Most abstracts adequately reported interventions (89.0%), objectives (77.9%) and conclusions (74.8%) while failed to report randomization procedures, allocation concealment, effect estimate, confidence intervals, and funding. Registration of RCTs was not reported in any of the abstracts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reporting quality in abstracts of RCTs published in Oral Implantology journals needs to be improved. Editors and authors should be encouraged to endorse the CONSORT for abstracts guidelines in order to achieve optimal quality in abstract reporting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Athens, P.O. Box 18018, Athens 11610, Greece.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kiriakou
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Dental School, Medical Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pandis
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Phoebus
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Madianos
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Athens, P.O. Box 18018, Athens 11610, Greece. Electronic address: argy_poly@post.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Argy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polychronopoulou
mesh_terms: D000043:Abstracting and Indexing / Q000592:standards*; D057189:Checklist; D003757:Dental Implantation; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards; D012042:Registries; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D035842:Research Subjects
keywords: Abstracts; Clinical trials; Implantology; Reporting