Tagged: Iain L. Chapple
The Coalition of the Willing
After my recent comment on the concerted action of 19 eminent and self-proclaimed eminent periodontal scientists spearheaded by Drs. Borgnakke and Chapple (2014) aiming at smashing findings of a large multicenter randomized controlled trial by Engebretson et al. 2013 on HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetics with moderate or severe periodontitis, I had honestly decided not to report any more on the issue unless an updated systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration was published. A reader of my blog had contacted CC’s Dr. Terry Simpson who promised that, due to “logistical problem[s] including difficulties with authors not supplying vital information [sic!],” they would likely be able to publish it around the turn of the year.
Now, the final paper was published yesterday in the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice with a few editorial amendments. Borgnakke’s, well, rant is remarkable since it assembles (as reviewers who are also listed as authors) in essence all editors and many members of the editorial boards of our core journals in periodontology and implant dentistry as well as the editor of Journal of Dental Research. I had reported on the history of the paper here and had noted that, after a first version had been withdrawn by the authors earlier this year, Panos N. Papapanou was no longer listed as reviewer in the version which went online on 13 August 2014. Instead, Fusanori Nishimora (an editorial board member of Journal of Periodontal Research who is involved in the so-called Hiroshima Study, see below) had joined the group. While the online early version of Borgnakke’s paper had got the title “The randomized controlled trial (RCT) published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on the impact of periodontal therapy on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) has fundamental flaws,” a slightly moderated version is now provided: “The Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on the Effect (sic!) of Periodontal Therapy on Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) Has Fundamental Problems (sic!).”
The Verdict
The first withdrawn manuscript by Drs. Wenche Borgnakke and Iain Chapple and each and every editor of our hardcore periodontal journals as well as otherwise eminent individuals in Periodontology, which had proclaimed that “[t]he randomized controlled trial (RCT) published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on the impact of periodontal therapy on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) has fundamental flaws” about the paper by Engebretson et al. (2013), see [pdf], went online today in the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice.
I had wondered before why it had been withdrawn but couldn’t figure that out. Interesting may be that the withdrawn paper had listed all 19 authors, while the current version does not. Maybe that Borgnakke and Chapple are only pawns in a worldwide political enterprise launched by our “thought leaders”. It may also be that more “evidence” (see below), possibly (but rather not) suitable for putting findings by Engebretson et al. (2013) into perspectve, needed to be included in what is almost a revile.
Periodontology 