ArticleClinical oral investigations2025
Selective outcome reporting concerning antibiotics and third molar surgery.
Article in Clinical oral investigations, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Sponsorship Bias in Randomised Controlled Trials on Postoperative Pain After Third Molar Extraction: A Meta-Research Study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Piezosurgery-assisted protocol for impacted mandibular third molar removal with 3D facial swelling analysis: a randomized split-mouth clinical trial on post-surgical sequelae.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Trial
- An Assessment of the Knowledge and Attitudes of Final-Year Dental Students on and Towards Antibiotic Use: A Questionnaire Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study evaluates the selective outcome reporting (SOR) in clinical trials on antibiotic use in third molar surgeries. It explores how SOR may bias results and affect systematic reviews, potentially leading to misinterpretations of intervention efficacy. MATERIALS AND
methodsA search was conducted on "ClinicalTrials.gov", "Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials", "International Clinical Trials Registry Platform" and "European Union Clinical Trials Register" using the terms "third molar" and "antibiotics" up to December 2024. Two independent researchers selected eligible clinical trials. Data were extracted from registered protocols and corresponding publications. Discrepancies were analyzed using established criteria, and the risk of bias of published articles was assessed with Risk of Bias2.
resultsDiscrepancies between protocols and publications were found in 87.5% of cases, affecting outcomes in 68.7% of studies. SOR significantly influenced results in studies with one or more discrepancies. 75% of studies assess pain post-antibiotic therapy; of those, 50% found significant results. Only 31,25% of studies showed significant reductions in trismus or edema with antibiotic use. The risk of bias varied significantly across studies.
conclusionsThe high rate of selective reporting stresses the need for transparent studies to clarify the role of antibiotics in the perioperative period. Researchers should adhere to best clinical practices, including protocol registration, accurate sample size calculations, and precision in reporting. Journals and reviewers must prioritize transparency to reduce bias and improve research quality. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study emphasizes the impact of SOR in clinical trials using antibiotics in third molar surgery. Clinicians should be more cautious in reading evidence based on randomized clinical trials with SORs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
39751942What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.