Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada.
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 3359 Mississauga Rd, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada.
Syst Rev. 2023 Mar 13;12(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s13643-023-02199-0.
There is a growing body of evidence of systematic reviews (SRs) with varying degrees of methodological quality. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach allows SR authors to assess the certainty of the evidence they found and transparently relay their conclusions. As there appears to be infrequent utilization of GRADE in the field of dentistry, to identify the impact of GRADE, the aim of this study is to evaluate the use of GRADE in the dental literature and determine whether SRs that use GRADE differ from those that do not with respect to their conclusions.
METHODS/DESIGN: We will search Ovid MEDLINE for SRs published from 2016 to the present. We will conduct both screening and data extraction independently and in duplicate and use pre-piloted, standardized forms for data extraction. We will determine the frequency of the use of GRADE and the varying levels of certainty in the current literature and evaluate whether GRADE is being used appropriately. We will also evaluate whether SRs not using GRADE differ from those that use GRADE with regard to methodological quality. We will also determine whether the conclusions of SRs that do not use GRADE would change had GRADE been utilized. Additionally, we will evaluate whether SRs using GRADE are more likely to formulate appropriate conclusions compared to SRs that do not use it.
This study will investigate the frequency of GRADE assessments in dentistry SRs and the impact of GRADE assessments on the conclusions of a SR. It has important implications for both SR authors and users of this type of literature.
越来越多的系统评价（SR）具有不同程度的方法学质量。推荐分级评估、制定与评价（GRADE）方法允许 SR 作者评估他们发现的证据的确定性，并透明地传达他们的结论。由于在牙科领域似乎很少使用 GRADE，为了确定 GRADE 的影响，本研究旨在评估 GRADE 在牙科文献中的使用情况，并确定使用 GRADE 的 SR 是否与不使用 GRADE 的 SR 在结论上有所不同。
方法/设计：我们将在 Ovid MEDLINE 中搜索 2016 年至今发表的 SR。我们将独立并重复进行筛选和数据提取，并使用预先制定的标准化表格进行数据提取。我们将确定当前文献中 GRADE 的使用频率和不同的确定性水平，并评估 GRADE 是否得到了正确使用。我们还将评估不使用 GRADE 的 SR 是否与使用 GRADE 的 SR 在方法学质量方面存在差异。我们还将确定不使用 GRADE 的 SR 的结论是否会因使用 GRADE 而改变。此外，我们将评估使用 GRADE 的 SR 是否比不使用 GRADE 的 SR 更有可能得出适当的结论。
本研究将调查 GRADE 评估在牙科 SR 中的频率以及 GRADE 评估对 SR 结论的影响。这对这类型文献的 SR 作者和使用者都具有重要意义。
