Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology

Edited by:
A. John Spencer

Print ISSN: 0301-5661
Online ISSN: 1600-0528
Frequency: Bi-monthly
Current Volume: 38 / 2010
ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2008: 16/55 Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine; 47/105 Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Impact Factor: 1.963

TopAuthor Guidelines

The aim of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology is to serve as a forum for scientifically based information in community dentistry, with the intention of continually expanding the knowledge base in the field. The scope is therefore broad, ranging from original studies in epidemiology, behavioral sciences related to dentistry, and health services research through to methodological reports in program planning, implementation and evaluation. Reports dealing with people of all age groups are welcome.

The journal encourages manuscripts which present methodologically detailed scientific research findings from original data collection or analysis of existing databases. Preference is given to new findings. Confirmation of previous findings can be of value, but the journal seeks to avoid needless repetition. It also encourages thoughtful, provocative commentaries on subjects ranging from research methods to public policies. Purely descriptive reports are not encouraged, nor are behavioral science reports with only marginal application to dentistry.

Knowledge in any field only advances when research results and policies are held up to critical scrutiny. To be consistent with that view, the journal encourages scientific debate on a wide range of subjects. Responses to research results and views expressed in the journal are always welcome, whether in the form of a manuscript or a commentary. Prompt publication will be sought for these submissions. Book reviews and short reports from international conferences are also welcome, and publication of conference proceedings can be arranged with the publisher.

Please read the instructions below carefully for details on the submission of manuscripts, the journal's requirements and standards as well as information concerning the procedure after acceptance of a manuscript for publication in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Authors are encouraged to visit Blackwell Publishing Author Services for further information on the preparation and submission of articles and figures.

Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology adheres to the below ethical guidelines for publication and research.

2.1. Authorship and Acknowledgements

Authorship: Authors submitting a manuscript do so on the understanding that the manuscript have been read and approved by all authors and that all authors agree to the submission of the manuscript to the Journal.

Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology adheres to the definition of authorship set up by The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). According to the ICMJE criteria, authorship should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design of, or acquisiation of data or analysis and interpretation of data, 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2 and 3.

It is a requirement that all authors have been accredited as appropriate upon submission of the manuscript. Contributors who do not qualify as authors should be mentioned under Acknowledgements.

Acknowledgements: Under acknowledgements please specify contributors to the article other than the authors accredited and all sources of financial support for the research.

2.2. Ethical Approvals
In all reports of original studies with humans, authors should specifically state the nature of the ethical review and clearance of the study protocol. Informed consent must be obtained from human subjects participating in research studies. Some reports, such as those dealing with institutionalized children or mentally retarded persons, may need additional details of ethical clearance.

Experimental Subjects: experimentation involving human subjects will only be published if such research has been conducted in full accordance with ethical principles, including the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (version, 2002 http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm) and the additional requirements, if any, of the country where the research has been carried out.

Manuscripts must be accompanied by a statement that the experiments were undertaken with the understanding and written consent of each subject and according to the above mentioned principles.

All studies should include an explicit statement in the Material and Methods section identifying the review and ethics committee approval for each study, if applicable. Editors reserve the right to reject papers if there is doubt as to whether appropriate procedures have been used.

Ethics of investigation: Manuscripts not in agreement with the guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration as revised in 1975 will not be accepted for publication.

2.3 Clinical Trials
Clinical trials should be reported using the CONSORT guidelines available at http://www.consort-statement.org/newene.htm. A CONSORT checklist should also be included in the submission material (http://www.consort-statement.org/newene.htm#checklist).

Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology encourages authors submitting manuscripts reporting from a clinical trial to register the trials in any of the following free, public clinical trials registries: www.clinicaltrials.gov, http://clinicaltrials-dev.ifpma.org/, http://isrctn.org/. The clinical trial registration number and name of the trial register will then be published with the manuscript.

2.4 Observational and Other Studies
Observational studies such as cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies should be reported consistent with guidelines like STROBE.Meta analysis for systematic reviews should be reported consistent with guidelines like QUOROM and MOOSE. These guidelines can be accessed at www.equator-network.org

2.5 Appeal of Decision
The decision on a manuscript is final and cannot be appealed.

2.6 Permissions
If all or parts of previously published illustrations are used, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder concerned. It is the author's responsibility to obtain these in writing and provide copies to the Publishers.

2.7 Copyright Assignment
Authors submitting a manuscript do so on the understanding that the work and its essential substance have not been published before and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. The submission of the manuscript by the authors means that the authors automatically agree to assign exclusive copyright to Blackwell Publishing if and when the manuscript is accepted for publication. The work shall not be published elsewhere in any language without the written consent of the publisher. The articles published in this journal are protected by copyright, which covers translation rights and the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute all of the articles printed in the journal. No material published in the journal may be stored on microfilm or videocassettes or in electronic database and the like or reproduced photographically without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors are required to assign the copyright to publish their article to Blackwell Publishing. Assignment of the copyright is a condition of publication and manuscripts will not be passed to the publisher for production unless copyright has been assigned. (Manuscripts subject to government or Crown copyright are exempt from this requirement; however, the form still has to be signed). A completed Copyright Transfer Agreement must be sent before any manuscript can be published. Authors must send the completed Copyright Transfer Agreement upon receiving notice of manuscript acceptance, i.e., do not send the Copyright Transfer Agreement at submission. Please return your completed form to:

Poh Hoon TENG
Production Editor
Wiley Services Singapore Pte Ltd
600 North Bridge Road, #05-01 Parkview Square
Singapore 188778

Alternatively a scanned version of the form can be emailed to phteng@wiley.com or faxed to +65 6295 6202. For questions concerning copyright, please visit Blackwell Publishing's Copyright FAQ

2.8 OnlineOpen
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology offers authors the opportunity to publish their paper OnlineOpen. OnlineOpen is a pay-to-publish service from Blackwell that offers authors whose papers are accepted for publication the opportunity to pay up-front for their manuscript to become open access (i.e. free for all to view and download). Each OnlineOpen article will be subject to a one-off fee of $3000 to be met by or on behalf of the Author in advance of publication. Upon online publication, the article (both full-text and PDF versions) will be available to all for viewing and download free of charge. The print version of the article will also be branded as OnlineOpen and will draw attention to the fact that the paper can be downloaded for free.

Any authors wishing to publish their paper OnlineOpen will be required to complete the combined payment and Online Open Copyright Licence Form (Please note this form is for use with OnlineOpen material ONLY).Once complete this form should be sent to the Production Editor (address on the form) at the time of acceptance or as soon as possible after that (preferably within 24 hours to avoid any delays in processing). Prior to acceptance there is no requirement to inform the Production Editor that you intend to publish your paper OnlineOpen if you do not wish to. Authors wanting to publish their paper OnlineOpen should complete the Online Open Copyright Licence Form and not the Copyright Transfer Agreement.

For questions concerning copyright, please visit Blackwell Publishing's Copyright FAQ

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically via the online submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cdoe. The use of an online submission and peer review site enables immediate distribution of manuscripts and consequentially speeds up the review process. It also allows authors to track the status of their own manuscripts. Complete instructions for submitting a manuscript are available online and below. Further assistance can be obtained from the Editorial Assistant, Ms. Alison Mc Lean, alison.mclean@adelaide.edu.au

Editorial Office:
Professor A. John Spencer
Editor
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
The University of Adelaide
South Australia
5005 Australia
E-mail: john.spencer@adelaide.edu.au
Tel: +61 8 8303 5438
Fax: +61 8 8303 3070

The Editorial Assistant is Ms. Alison Mc Lean: alison.mclean@adelaide.edu.au

3.1. Getting Started
• Launch your web browser (supported browsers include Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Netscape 7.0, 7.1, or 7.2, Safari 1.2.4, or Firefox 1.0.4) and go to the journal's online Submission Site: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cdoe
• Log-in or click the 'Create Account' option if you are a first-time user.
• If you are creating a new account.
- After clicking on 'Create Account', enter your name and e-mail information and click 'Next'. Your e-mail information is very important.
- Enter your institution and address information as appropriate, and then click 'Next.'
- Enter a user ID and password of your choice (we recommend using your e-mail address as your user ID), and then select your area of expertise. Click 'Finish'.
• If you have an account, but have forgotten your log in details, go to Password Help on the journals online submission system http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cdoe and enter your e-mail address. The system will send you an automatic user ID and a new temporary password.
• Log-in and select 'Corresponding Author Center.'

3.2. Submitting Your Manuscript
• After you have logged in, click the 'Submit a Manuscript' link in the menu bar.
• Enter data and answer questions as appropriate. You may copy and paste directly from your manuscript and you may upload your pre-prepared covering letter.
• Click the 'Next' button on each screen to save your work and advance to the next screen.
• You are required to upload your files.
- Click on the 'Browse' button and locate the file on your computer.
- Select the designation of each file in the drop down next to the Browse button.
- When you have selected all files you wish to upload, click the 'Upload Files' button.
• Review your submission (in HTML and PDF format) before sending to the Journal. Click the 'Submit' button when you are finished reviewing.

3.3. Manuscript Files Accepted
Manuscripts should be uploaded as Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rft) files (not write-protected) plus separate figure files. GIF, JPEG, PICT or Bitmap files are acceptable for submission, but only high-resolution TIF or EPS files are suitable for printing. The files will be automatically converted to HTML and a PDF document on upload and will be used for the review process. The text file must contain the entire manuscript including title page, abstract, text, references, tables, and figure legends, but no embedded figures. Figure tags should be included in the file. Manuscripts should be formatted as described in the Author Guidelines below. Please note that any manuscripts uploaded as Word 2007 (.docx) will be automatically rejected. Please save any .docx file as .doc before uploading.

3.4. Suggest Two Reviewers
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology attempts to keep the review process as short as possible to enable rapid publication of new scientific data. In order to facilitate this process, please suggest the names and current email addresses of two potential international reviewers whom you consider capable of reviewing your manuscript.

3.5. Suspension of Submission Mid-way in the Submission Process
You may suspend a submission at any phase before clicking the 'Submit' button and save it to submit later. The manuscript can then be located under 'Unsubmitted Manuscripts' and you can click on 'Continue Submission' to continue your submission when you choose to.

3.6. E-mail Confirmation of Submission
After submission you will receive an email to confirm receipt of your manuscript. If you do not receive the confirmation email within 10 days, please check your email address carefully in the system. If the email address is correct please contact your IT department. The error may be caused by some sort of spam filtering on your email server. Also, the emails should be received if the IT department adds our email server (uranus.scholarone.com) to their whitelist.

3.7. Review Procedures
All manuscripts (except invited reviews and some commentaries and conference proceedings) are submitted to an initial review by the Editor or Associate Editors. Manuscripts which are not considered relevant to the practice of community dentistry or of interest to the readership of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology will be rejected without review. Manuscripts presenting innovative hypothesis-driven research with methodologically detailed scientific findings are favoured to move forward to peer review. All manuscripts accepted for peer review will be submitted to at least 2 reviewers for peer review, and comments from the reviewers and the editor are returned to the lead author.

3.8. Manuscript Status
You can access ScholarOne Manuscripts (formerly known as Manuscript Central) any time to check your 'Author Centre' for the status of your manuscript. The Journal will inform you by e-mail once a decision has been made.

3.9. Submission of Revised Manuscripts
Revised manuscripts must be uploaded within two or three months of authors being notified of conditional acceptance pending satisfactory Minor or Major revision respectively. Locate your manuscript under 'Manuscripts with Decisions' and click on 'Submit a Revision' to submit your revised manuscript. Please remember to delete any old files uploaded when you upload your revised manuscript.

4.1. Page Charge
Articles exceeding 7 pages (including figures and tables) are subject to a charge of US$300 per additional page. One published page amounts approximately to 3 pages double-spaced (excluding figures and tables).

4.2. Format

Language: All submissions must be in English; both British and American spelling conventions are acceptable. Authors for whom English is a second language must have their manuscript professionally edited by an English speaking person before submission to make sure the English is of high quality. It is preferred that manuscript is professionally edited. A list of independent suppliers of editing services can be found at http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/english_language.asp. All services are paid for and arranged by the author, and use of one of these services does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication

Abbreviations, Symbols and Nomenclature: Authors can consult the following source: CBE Style Manual Committee. Scientific style and format: the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 6th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994

4.3. Structure
All manuscripts submitted to Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology should follow the guidelines regarding structure as below.

Title Page: should include a title of no more than 50 words, a running head of no more than 50 characters and the names and institutional affiliations of all authors of the manuscript should be included.

Abstract: All manuscripts submitted to Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology should use a structured abstract under the headings: Objectives - Methods - Results - Conclusions.

Main Text of Original Articles should include Introduction, Materials and Methods and Discussion.

Introduction: should be focused, outlining the historical or logical origins of the study and not summarize the results; exhaustive literature reviews are not appropriate. It should close with the explicit statement of the specific aims of the investigation.

Materials and Methods must contain sufficient detail such that, in combination with the references cited, all studies reported can be fully reproduced. As a condition of publication, authors are required to make materials and methods used freely available to academic researchers for their own use.

Discussion: may usually start with a brief summary of the major findings, but repetition of parts of the abstract or of the results sections should be avoided. The section should end with a brief conclusion and a comment on the potential clinical program or policy relevance of the findings. Statements and interpretation of the data should be appropriately supported by original references.

4.4. References
The list of references begins on a fresh page in the manuscript, using the Vancouver format. References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identified references in the text should be sequentially numbered by Arabic numerals in parentheses, e.g., (1,3,9). Superscript in-text references are not acceptable in CDOE. For correct style, authors are referred to: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: writing and editing for biomedical publication. http://www.icmje.org October 2004. For abbreviations of journal names, consult http://www.lib.umich.edu/dentlib/resources/serialsabbr.html

Avoid reference to 'unpublished observations', and manuscripts not yet accepted for publication. References to abstracts should be avoided if possible; such references are appropriate only if they are recent enough that time has not permitted full publication. References to written personal communications (not oral) may be inserted in parentheses in the text.

We recommend the use of a tool such as EndNote or Reference Manager for reference management and formatting. EndNote reference styles can be searched for here: www.endnote.com/support/enstyles.asp Reference Manager reference styles can be searched for here: www.refman.com/support/rmstyles.asp

Examples of the Vancouver reference style are given below:

Journals
Standard journal article
(List all authors when six or fewer. When seven or more, list first six and add et al.)

Widström E, Linna M, Niskanen T. Productive efficiency and its determinants in the Finnish Public Dental Service. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2004;32:31-40.

Corporate author
WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Precancerous Lesions. Definition of leukoplakia and related lesions: an aid to studies on oral precancer. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 1978;46:518-39.

Books and other monographs
Personal author(s)
Fejerskov O, Baelum V, Manji F, Møller IJ. Dental fluorosis; a handbook for health workers. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1988:41-3.

Chapter in a book
Fomon SJ, Ekstrand J. Fluoride intake. In: Fejerskov O, Ekstrand J, Burt BA, editors: Fluoride in dentistry, 2nd edition. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1996; 40-52.

4.5. Tables, Figures and Figure Legends
Tables are part of the text and should be included, one per page, after the References. All graphs, drawings, and photographs are considered figures and should be sequentially numbered with Arabic numerals. Each figure must be on a separate page and each must have a caption. All captions, with necessary references, should be typed together on a separate page and numbered clearly (Fig.1, Fig. 2, etc.).

Preparation of Electronic Figures for Publication: Although low quality images are adequate for review purposes, print publication requires high quality images to prevent the final product being blurred or fuzzy. Submit EPS (lineart) or TIFF (halftone/photographs) files only. MS PowerPoint and Word Graphics are unsuitable for printed pictures. Do not use pixel-oriented programmes. Scans (TIFF only) should have a resolution of 300 dpi (halftone) or 600 to 1200 dpi (line drawings) in relation to the reproduction size (see below). Please submit the data for figures in black and white or submit a colourwork agreement form. EPS files should be saved with fonts embedded (and with a TIFF preview if possible).
For scanned images, the scanning resolution (at final image size) should be as follows to ensure good reproduction: line art: >600 dpi; half-tones (including gel photographs): >300 dpi; figures containing both halftone and line images: >600 dpi.

Further information can be obtained at Blackwell Publishing's guidelines for figures: http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/illustration.asp.

Check your electronic artwork before submitting it: http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/eachecklist.asp

Permissions: If all or parts of previously published illustrations are used, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder concerned. It is the author's responsibility to obtain these in writing and provide copies to the Publishers.

Colour Charges: It is the policy of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology for authors to pay the full cost for the reproduction of their colour artwork, if required. Therefore, please note that if there is colour artwork in your manuscript when it is accepted for publication, Blackwell Publishing require you to complete and return a Colour Work Agreement Form before your manuscript can be published (even if you want the colour figures to appear in black and white). Any article received by Blackwell Publishing with colour work will not be published until the form has been returned. If you are unable to access the internet, or are unable to download the form, please contact the Production Editor Poh Hoon TENG, phteng@wiley.com. Please send the completed Colour Work Agreement to:

Poh Hoon TENG
Production Editor
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
Wiley-Blackwell
Wiley Services Singapore Pte Ltd
600 North Bridge Road
#05-01 Parkview Square
Singapore 188778

Figure Legends: All captions, with necessary references, should be typed together on a separate page and numbered clearly (Fig.1, Fig. 2, etc.).

Special issues: Larger papers, monographs, and conference proceedings may be published as special issues of the journal. Full cost of these extra issues must be paid by the authors. Further information can be obtained from the editor or publisher.

Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, the manuscript will be forwarded to the Production Editor who is responsible for the production of the journal.

5.1 Proof Corrections
The corresponding author will receive an email alert containing a link to a web site. A working email address must therefore be provided for the corresponding author. The proof can be downloaded as a PDF (portable document format) file from this site.

Acrobat Reader will be required in order to read this file. This software can be downloaded (free of charge) from the following Web site: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html . This will enable the file to be opened, read on screen, and printed out in order for any corrections to be added. Further instructions will be sent with the proof. Hard copy proofs will be posted if no e-mail address is available; in your absence, please arrange for a colleague to access your e-mail to retrieve the proofs. Proofs must be returned within three days of receipt.

As changes to proofs are costly, we ask that you only correct typesetting errors. Excessive changes made by the author in the proofs, excluding typesetting errors, will be charged separately. Other than in exceptional circumstances, all illustrations are retained by the publisher. Please note that the author is responsible for all statements made in his work, including changes made by the copy editor.

5.2 Early View (Publication Prior to Print)
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology is covered by Blackwell Publishing's Early View service. Early View articles are complete full-text articles published online in advance of their publication in a printed issue. They have been fully reviewed, revised and edited for publication, and the authors' final corrections have been incorporated. Because they are in final form, no changes can be made after online publication. The nature of Early View articles means that they do not yet have volume, issue or page numbers, so Early View articles cannot be cited in the traditional way. They are therefore given a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which allows the article to be cited and tracked before it is allocated to an issue. After print publication, the DOI remains valid and can continue to be used to cite and access the article.

5.3 Author Services
Online production tracking is available for your article through Wiley-Blackwell's Author Services. Author Services enables authors to track their article - once it has been accepted - through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated e-mails at key stages of production. The author will receive an e-mail with a unique link that enables them to register and have their article automatically added to the system. Please ensure that a complete e-mail address is provided when submitting the manuscript. Visit http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/ for more details on online production tracking and for a wealth of resources including FAQs and tips on article preparation, submission and more.

5.4 Author Material Archive Policy
Please note that unless specifically requested, Blackwell Publishing will dispose of all hardcopy or electronic material submitted two months after publication. If you require the return of any material submitted, please inform the editorial office or production editor as soon as possible.

5.5 Offprints and Extra Copies
A PDF offprint of the online published article will be provided free of charge to the corresponding author, and may be distributed subject to the Publisher's terms and conditions. Additional article offprints may be ordered online. Please click on the following link, fill in the necessary details and ensure that you type information in all of the required fields: Offprint Cosprinters.If you have queries about offprints please email offprint@cosprinters.com

5.6 Note to NIH Grantees
Pursuant to NIH mandate, Wiley-Blackwell will post the accepted version of contributions authored by NIH grant-holders to PubMed Central upon acceptance. This accepted version will be made publicly available 12 months after publication. For further information, see www.wiley.com/go/nihmandate