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Twenty-one reports of 14 randomized control trials (RCTs) published between 1968 and 1984 comparing methods of periodontal treatment were evaluated using a system to assess the quality of RCTs based an published reports. The quality assessment system evaluates the design, implementation, and analytic methods used. An index of quality is calculated with a maximum score attainable of 1.00. The mean quality score for these 14 RCTs was 0.35±0.07 (ISD). There was no evidence of improvement in scores over lime. Ninety-five percent of the trials used the `split-mouth' protocol. Although the results of 17 reports claimed no statistically significant differences between treatments, in no case was a type II error calculated to ensure that a sample size sufficient to detect a difference of clinical interest had been used. It is recommended that future RCTs of periodontal treatment utilize and report a standard design protocol so that results may be better compared and combined, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criteria and scoring method for a system to evaluate the quality of randomized control trials (RCTs) in dental research based on published reports is presented. This system is based on one devised for evaluation of RCTs in medicine. Items assessed in this system include randomization and blinding procedures, subject selection criteria, treatment protocols, and statistical analyses. Assessing the quality of RCTs can contribute to improved study design, implementation and reporting by investigators, and evaluation of reports by referees and editors of scientific journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]