150 Articles Are Annually Produced in Dentistry Research Center

Dr. Maryam Bidar, the president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences said: this center has been able to play an influential role in scientific knowledge production with more than 150 articles annually, in the year that bears the slogan of promoting scientific knowledge production year. This center has had more than 1500 articles in its 11 years of working.

According to WebDa, in a report on the developmental procedure of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, speaking of the initial stages of this center’s work, Dr. Bidar said: Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences received its principled enactment from the Research and Technology Administration of the university in 2005. In the first year of initiating its activities, this center succeeded to achieve the first rank among the principled enacted research centers of the university.

She continued to say: in 2007, the center received its absolute enactment from the Development Council of Medical Sciences Universities. In the same year, the center achieved the second rank among the research centers through the country without having independent budget row.

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences pointed out: at the moment, this center has been able to pursue its research activities with 58 faculty members for a period of 11 years in the university and achieve some honors such as the second and third ranks in Razi Competition in 2007, two cases of third rank achievement in Razi Competition in 2008, the Best Researcher Ranks in 2012 and 2013, and the honor of Young Researcher of the Year in 2013.

Dr. Bidar spoke of the main purpose of establishing this research center and said: the introduction, maintaining and strengthening this dentistry research center through the province, country and also internationally; leading, facilitating, systematizing, and executing dentistry research plans; prioritizing medical sciences researches based on need analysis, and etc. have been among the principal objectives in running this center.

Article Production in This Center Has Had a Precipitous Rise

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences considered the developmental procedure of this research center to be highly rising and added: in the first year of its activities, this center could achieve the score of 632.5 from the Ministry of Health, Hygiene and Medical Education on the basis of the number of articles produced and their citations and references to them. Today, after 11 years, this score has increased to 3074.24.

Dr. Bidar stated: according to the score allocated by the Ministry of Health, Hygiene and Medical Education, this point was emphasized and promised that for every 500 scores, we could have the possibility to employ a full time research faculty member. Though we have, accordingly, been able to hire a few faculty members. Of course, it’s not a lot. Actually, we only have two research faculty members in this regard.

She spoke of the high number of produced articles in this research center and said: annually, more than 150 articles are produced in this center. It can be said that, so far, more than 1500 articles are written and produced in Dentistry Research Center.

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences reported: in 2014, there have been 16 articles taken out of theses and dissertations while in the same year, 66 articles are presented in international conferences and seminars out of the country, 17 articles in national conferences, 71 articles are published in international journals abroad and 27 articles in national ones, and there have been 226 article references with the name of our center. In total, we have achieved the score of 3074.24.

In the second part of this report, Dr. Bidar spoke of the significance of knowledge production and scientific domestication in the country and pointed out: a problem in so doing is the lack of adequate connection and collaboration between industry and the university. Hence, we have no dentistry industry in the country.

She stressed: when there is no domesticated science and industry in the country, we are forced to perform our researches on industry abroad on the productions of other countries.

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences added: if a close relation is built among the science produced in university atmosphere and the industry and producers, there would be more grounds to work on national products, specifically in dentistry industry. Though in our current situation, there is no extensive production of dentistry materials in the country.

We Possess the Scientific Potential to Produce Dentistry Materials

Emphasizing the ability to produce dentistry products in the country, Dr. Bidar said: we do have the formulation to produce dentistry materials in the country, though as to lack of adequate support and sponsorship from producers and investors and lack of long-term perspective to this concern, there has been no improvements along with this matter.

She spoke of the existing scientific potentials in the country and added: Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) or dentistry cement is a powdery material which is mostly comprised of tri-calcium aluminate, tri-calcium oxide and silicate oxide. The major structure of MTA bears great similarity to that of Portland cement or building cement. Each gram of this material which is generally produced abroad and imported to the country would cost 58-115 dollars for the patient.

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences continued to say: producers abroad have a perspective of such global market. Though in the country, the industry only seeks mass produced materials. Therefore, as to its high usage, producing building cement seems more acceptable comparing to dentistry cement production.

Dr. Bidar considered that facilitating global invention recording will lead to improvements in knowledge production in the country and asserted: besides these issues, faculty members’ teaching and educational activities limits their active involvement and success in research and knowledge production.

“As the stages of knowledge production up to recording and making it applicable science is a time consuming one, if we strengthen our research faculty members and give them more room to concentrate on knowledge production, we would be able to achieve greater success in this regard”, she said.

Numerous Faculty Member Articles Are Published in Credible Books over the World

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences spoke of the current problems and obstacles on the way to develop the Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, and asserted: we hope a day comes that regarding budget allocation, this center achieves the level assumed for research centers in Shahid Beheshti University and Tehran University.

Dr. Bidar averred: having an independent budget row provides us with the opportunity to employ capable faculty members in scientific and knowledge production, and bear less suffering from lack of full time research faculty members.

She highlighted that: with independent budget, even the connection between research centers and industry would be facilitated, though the allocated budget is so meager and cannot meet our needs and requirements in knowledge production and doing research.

The president of Dentistry Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences continued to say: it should be noted that we have no problem in knowledge production on its own as it is nothing but writing and publishing these articles. In this regard, we have proceeded so extensively that some of our articles are indexed in credible books over the world and some 50 articles of our “endodontic” colleagues are indexed in the textbooks of endodontic treatment of the teeth (for subspecialist degree) .

In the end, Dr. Bidar stated: in any university affiliated research center, faculty members are considered to be the active members of the research center. We have 58 educational faculty members involved in activities here. Though in case we can employ full time research faculty members, our successes would be multiplied.