Evaluation of Spin in Abstracts of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in Pediatric Dentistry Journals

Aim and background: The term "spin" in biomedical journals refers to reporting strategies that misinterpret actual results and mislead readers toward viewing a drug or treatment in a more favorable or less favorable manner. The study aimed to evaluate the presence of spin in abstracts of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in PubMed-indexed pediatric dentistry journals.

Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Dentistry at a tertiary care hospital from April to June 2023. Randomized controlled trials published in PubMed-indexed pediatric dentistry journals from January 2010 to December 2022 were included. A literature search was performed by two independent reviewers according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The abstracts of the included articles were evaluated to identify spin. The method described by Boutron et al. was followed to define and identify spin. Data summary statistics of the included studies were calculated using Google Sheets.

Results: The initial search in PubMed resulted in 3,566 articles. According to the eligibility criteria, 327 articles were included and analyzed for spin in the abstracts. A total of 10 out of 327 (3%) articles showed spin in the abstracts. Randomized controlled trials evaluating pulpotomy as an intervention exhibited the most spin. The majority of abstracts with spin showed a discrepancy in the presentation of results and the conclusion section.

Conclusion: The presence of spin is evident in 3% of PubMed-indexed Pediatric Dentistry journals published from 2010 to 2022.

Clinical significance: Clinicians should be careful when implying the observations of abstracts of RCTs to the clinical scenario, considering the presence of spin.

How to cite this article: Patnana AK, Jayam C, Kumar N, et al. Evaluation of Spin in Abstracts of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in Pediatric Dentistry Journals. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(9):1071-1074.