Abstract

Introduction: Until now, there are no reports of quantity and quality of publications in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) conducted in Chile, which is why the aim of this study is to determine the productivity and methodological quality (MQ) of OMFS clinical articles in Chile in the period 2001-2012. Material and Methods: Bibliometric study. A systematic search in MEDLINE, Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science-ISI) and SciELO was conducted. Only clinical items related to OMFS made by Chilean authors were selected. Journal name, publication year, primary Chilean institution affiliated and specialty area were registered. Those articles related to surgical therapy were evaluated according to Sackett's level of evidence and MINCIR-therapy scale for MQ. Results are presented using descriptive statistics. Results: 68 articles were selected. Growth was observed in the number of publications, from 3 (4.4%) in 2002 to 8 (11.7%) in 2012, showing a peak (13 articles) in 2009. The most productive institution was Universidad de Chile (n = 20). Majority of items are cases of surgical pathology. 91.2% of the articles observed had a type 4 level of evidence. The MQ average of analyzed articles was 9.9 +/- 4.0 points, verifying only 4 items of good MQ (18 or more points). Conclusion: OMFS scientific production in Chile has increased during the last decade. However, the amount of articles of good level of evidence is low and MQ is poor.