| DESCRIPTIVE, CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY |
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| Year : 2013 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 2 | Page : 88-92 |
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Clinical versus statistical significance in the Iranian postgraduate periodontal theses
S Vahabi1, R Noormohammadi2, S Rahnama3
1 Department of Periodontics, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Oral Medicine, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Dentist, Qazvin, Iran
Correspondence Address:
R Noormohammadi
Department of Oral Diseases, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran
Iran
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0974-7761.136053
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Context: There is so much reliance on using statistical significance testing in clinical trials that sometimes leads to ignore clinical importance and statistical significance may be assumed as substantively important.
Aims: According to different concepts and lack of specific clinical criteria in this field, the purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical versus statistical significance in the postgraduate periodontal theses from the first number until January of 2011 in Iran.
Materials and Methods: All of the experimental periodontal theses in all six postgraduate dental faculties in Iran were evaluated and every direct and indirect evidences of clinical significance were double checked in titles, methods and materials, results, conclusions and suggestions by two trained dental interns. About one-third of the theses were triple checked by the trained director at the end of the study.
Results: About 66.66 percent of accessible experimental theses had statistically significant results and 24 percent had some evidence of clinical significance.
Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that clinically significant changes related to periodontal therapy should be established and threshold values of each clinical parameters should be defined at the beginning of the study and then statistical testing can be used to validate that findings did not occur by chance. |
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