Randomized trials published in the journal of dental research are cited more often compared with those in other top-tier non-specialty-specific dental journals.

Background And Aim: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are viewed as the gold standard for clinical research. Oftentimes the citation counts serve as an important measure for assessing the significance of an RCT to promote the dissemination of science. This study attempts to identify the factors associated with the number of times RCTs are cited within the first 24 months since publication.

Materials And Methods: RCTs published between January 1, 2002, and November 30, 2006, in 4 journals (Journal of Dental Research, European Journal of Oral Sciences, Journal of Dentistry, and Clinical Oral Investigations) were selected for analysis. Citation counts of RCTs in the first 24 months since publication was the outcome variable. The independent variables included journal of publication, geographic region of origin of study, number of authors, financial support, number of references, presentation of a statistically significant result, and if the study was conducted on animals. Bivariate associations between the outcome and independent variables were examined by Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman rank correlations where appropriate. A multivariable negative binomial regression model was also built to examine the association.

Results: A total of 163 RCTs were selected for analysis. The mean citation count for the first 24 months count was 2.61. Close to 20% of RCTs were not cited even once in this observation period. RCTs published in the highest impact factor journal (Journal of Dental Research) tended to be cited most often (P < .05).

Conclusion: Based on our initial analysis of 4 journals, publishing randomized trials in high-impact journals will likely provide better dissemination of research findings.