An analysis of periodontology theses in Türkiye: Ph.D. vs. specialization program

Abstract

Background: The cross-sectional study aimed to compare and evaluate the conversion rates of theses and dissertations of Ph.D. and specialization programs of the periodontology department in Türkiye. Methods: A total of 789 theses of dentists who successfully graduated from higher education institutions in Türkiye between 2001 and 2020 and qualified to become specialist dentists were analyzed. In these analyses, after descriptive information, the status of the theses converted into publications, the duration of publication, the number of citations, the indexes of the journals, and the employment status of dentists in the academy after graduation were evaluated. The Shapiro-Wilks test and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test were applied for the normality test. A chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Independent T-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and time series linear regression test were applied. Results: 336 Ph.D. (60.54%) and 110 (47%) dentists in specialty programs had their theses translated for publication (p = 0.001). 242 Ph.D. dentists (72.02%) published their thesis in an SCI-Expanded journal, while only sixty-nine specialty dentists (62.7%) published in these journals (p = 0.001). The publications of dentists with Ph.D. in SCI-Expanded indexed journals were mostly in journals ranked Q1 and Q2, while those of dentists with specialization were in journals ranked Q3 and Q4 (p = 0.012). The publications of dentists with Ph.D. received an average of 24 citations on the Web of Science, while those of specialists received seven (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The decline in the conversion of the theses of dentists graduating from the specialty program into publications may impact the field of periodontology in Türkiye. More comprehensive studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the specialty program.