Assessment of Knowledge of the DCI Point System among Orthodontists associated with a Dental College to Develop a Colour-coded Guide of Orthodontics Journals

Introduction: The credibility of the published scientific literature is dependent on various dynamic factors like the type of research, type of journal, journal indexing, impact factor which are subjected to constant changes. Calculating publication points, as a form of performance measure to award promotions for postgraduate faculty is used in many developing and in some developed countries.

Aim: To determine the knowledge of the Dental Council of India (DCI) point system among orthodontists associated with a Dental College and to develop a colour-coded guide of Orthodontics journals.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics, of an Educational Institution from July 2021 to December 2021, and a structured questionnaire was self-designed and made available in Google forms. This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted among the orthodontic faculty. A total of 428 complete responses were obtained and all the responses were evaluated using one way analysis of variance with Tukey’s Post-hoc tests and Independent sample t-test. A survey of all the journals that related to the field of orthodontics was performed in various databases. Journals that are included in the DCI categories were listed and colour-coded.

Results: Majority of study participants in this study were professors (53.3%) followed by readers and senior lecturers (15.9% each). Significant differences (p-value=0.021) were noted in participants’ knowledge on the DCI points system based on designation. Almost all the respondents reported indexing of the journal to be the basis for selecting a journal. Only 8.4% responded that, they were not aware of the DCI’s points system for publications. Subjects with self-reported awareness on the DCI points system showed a significantly higher mean knowledge score compared to their counterparts.

Conclusion: Subjects with self-reported awareness on the DCI points system showed a significantly higher mean (2.412±0.793) knowledge score compared to their counterparts. A colour-coded guide was developed to eliminate the bias in point calculation completely and help academicians select a journal suitable for academic promotions.