Significance of Biomedical Research in Academics

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought”

- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

The circle of dentistry encompasses clinical practice, dental education, and research. In this regard, dental clinical practice is strong in India. In terms of education, India is ranked 26th in its impact and total article production. However, the research conducted is in the form of dissertation work by postgraduates wherein the follow-ups and publication of the conducted work is done only by a few. Currently, the publication of research is gaining momentum but the quality of these publications need improvement.

At present, most of the articles published are case reports, reviews, and a few are of original research; among these very few are multidisciplinary studies and outcome studies. It is imperative that the quality of research publications is enhanced by including randomized controlled trials, prospective studies, and clinical translational studies. 

The focus of research needs to shift from basic epidemiological studies to immunologic/ genomic/ molecular studies. This will facilitate personalized dental medicine, biomimetic nanotechnology, genomic information, regenerative dentistry, and stem cell studies which will be more beneficial when integrated into dental practice.

Currently, vaccines, cloning, DNA, drugs, tissue engineering, microbial bioinformatics, and complex proteins are being used in dental research to treat various dental problems. The two important diseases encountered by dentists throughout their professional life includes dental caries and periodontal diseases, the etiology of which can be attributed to bacterial, genetic, and environmental factors. Thus, research focusing on treating these common diseases through genetic, regenerative, or stem cell technology can benefit patients and will also encourage the body to repair itself by the artificial placement of extrinsic materials.