Article by Penn Dental Medicine’s Dr. Markus Blatz among Prosthodontic Journals Most Cited
Dr. Markus Blatz, Professor and Chair of the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences
Philadelphia – In a recently published study analyzing the characteristics of the 100 most cited articles in prosthodontic journals between 1951 and 2019, one by Penn Dental Medicine’s Dr. Markus Blatz, Professor and Chair of the Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences, was among the top ten. The study appeared in the May issue of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry with Dr. Blatz’s Resin- Ceramic Bonding: A Review of the Literature ranking sixth for the most citations. At the time of the study, Dr. Blatz’s article, which appeared in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry in 2003, had been cited 1,052 times.
Articles that are widely cited are considered important in the field of prosthodontics as they can provide information on advances, the areas of most extensive research, and the future direction within the field.
In relation to his article, Dr. Blatz notes that the early 2000s marked the beginning of an era of new dental ceramic materials and improved CAD/CAM technologies. With it, he explains, there was great confusion about ceramic material classification and their selection in specific clinical situations, as well as how to properly pretreat and insert different ceramic material restorations through cementation or resin bonding.
“Our 2003 publication on the resin bond to ceramics was probably among the first to provide structure for these increasingly important topics as it reviewed and summarized the existing scientific evidence on appropriate resin bonding protocols based on the ceramic composition and classification,” says Dr. Blatz. “Now being the 6th most cited article in the history of prosthodontics emphasizes the importance of the topic for clinical success in dentistry.”
He notes that interestingly not much has changed in the fundamental composition of current dental ceramic materials and their recommended adhesive resin bonding protocols since then.
“With the vastly increasing application of less invasive treatment protocols through resin-bonded ceramic restorations, such as inlays, onlays, and laminate veneers instead of crowns, this paper is now arguably even more relevant and important than it was in 2003,” says Dr. Blatz.
This article also represented a milestone in Dr. Blatz’s career, since it was the first of numerous articles and studies on ceramic resin bonding, a topic that grew to become an area of expertise for him.
“The reason for being in academia is to create, teach, and disseminate new knowledge and information for dental health care providers to provide the best possible care to their patients,” says Dr. Blatz. “In that sense, the greatest reward is the recognition that our contributions are meaningful and relevant, which in dental literature is expressed by the number of times a published article is cited.”
“Our Department of Preventive & Restorative Sciences can take great pride in their leadership role in the field — exemplified by the impact of Dr. Blatz’s work in the area of prosthodontics,” says Penn Dental Medicine’s Morton Amsterdam Dean, Dr. Mark S. Wolff.