DPH 210: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN

Course Director:

Dr. Jane A. Weintraub, Lee Hysan Professor
Chair, Division of Oral Epidemiology and Dental Public Health
Dept. of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences
Offices: Laurel Heights Suite 495, Dental Clinics D-1023,
Phone: 476-3033 E-mail: Jane.Weintraub@ucsf.edu

Course Administration:

Day and Time: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon,
Place: Room S-180 and laboratory rotations
Credit: Two units
Format: 2-hour sessions, three 1.5-hour sessions + three 0.5 hour “lab rotations.” Each rotation will be repeated three times
over a three-week period so small groups can participate.

Additional Faculty: Office Phone E-mail Address

Course Description:

Dental research encompasses a wide range of research disciplines including basic and applied research. The purpose of this course is to introduce participants to the research process with emphasis on different types of research methods and designs frequently used to study oral health. This knowledge is important for reading, understanding and interpreting the research literature and conducting one’s own research. A series of classroom sessions will describe the major concepts and components of the research process: the scientific method and hypothesis development, data measurement and presentation, experimental and observational research designs, experimental methods used in laboratory research, and preparation of a research protocol. At the end of the course, participants will have a foundation to develop the skills necessary to critically review the scientific literature. Laboratory rotations will also introduce students to options that they may explore in more depth during their advanced dental education. The course will be taught by basic scientists, clinicians, epidemiologists, anthropologist and a biostatistician to facilitate understanding of both the unique and similar aspects
of these disciplines. This course will not focus on an introduction to biostatistics as that information is presented in another, complementary course.

Course Requirements:

The course requirements will consist of class preparation and participation, required readings, homework assignments, small group discussions critiquing journal articles, laboratory rotations, and final examination. There is no assigned textbook for this course. Instead journal articles and other materials have been selected for each topic covered in the course. Some of the readings are available on the internet through through the UCSF library website.

This is a DPH seminar series website. Scroll down and follow the link to DPH 210 near the bottom of the page, then the specific class session and items. Some of the links to online articles will be available at this site as well.

This material may migrate to the UCSF Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) on the library website during the quarter.
http://cit.ucsf.edu/cle/

It is expected that everyone will complete the required readings for the relevant session prior to class. It is particularly important to be prepared to discuss the articles assigned for the critical appraisal sessions. Some of the objectives and competencies to be achieved re listed below for each class session along with the reading assignment. Students will be given course evaluation forms to complete at the end of the quarter

7/7/2010 - Scientific Method and Evidence-based Dentistry

Instructors: Weintraub, Jane

Objectives:
1. Describe the scientific method and how it differs from other ways of problem-solving.
2. Formulate null and alternative hypotheses for a research question
3. Differentiate between independent (predictor, experimental, stimulus) and dependent (outcome, response) variables
4. Use the PICO format to describe the component parts of a research question.
5. Define evidence-based dentistry (EBD) – what it is and isn’t.

Readings:
Pihlstrom BL, Tabak L. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Research for the practicing dentist. JADA 2005; 136:728-37.
DeRouen TA, Hujoel P, Leroux B et al. Preparing practicing dentists to engage in practice-based research. JADA 2008;139:339-345.
Sutherland SE. Evidence-based dentistry: Part I. Getting started. J Can Dent Assoc. 2001 Apr;67(4):204-6
http://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-67/issue-4/204.html
Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Website), “levels of evidence”
http://www.cebm.net/levels_of_evidence.asp#refs


7/14/2010 - Observation Research

Instructor: Hyde, Susan

Objectives:
6. Define and provide examples of different study designs including: experimental studies, retrospective and prospective cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, and case-control studies.
7. Discuss situations when each type of design is most appropriate and the advantages and disadvantages of each type.
8. Define and calculate prevalence and incidence rates, and odds ratios.

Lecture Handouts:

Trajectories of dental anxiety in a birth cohort
Thomson WM, Broadbent JM, Locker D, Poulton R. Trajectories of dental anxiety in a birth cohort. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2009; 37: 209–219.
2009 John Wiley & Sons A⁄ S

A Study of Factors Associated with Changes in Dental Anxiety
G. Kent and P. Warren, J DENT RES 1985; 64; 1316, DOI: 10.1177/00220345850640111301

Readings:
The pdf files with the text of the following articles are available through the UCSF library Pubmed site.

Grimes DA, Schulz KF. Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do. Lancet 2002;359:145-49.
Grimes DA, Schulz KF. Cohort studies: marching towards outcomes. Lancet 2002;359: 341-45.
Schultz KF, Grimes DA. Case-control studies: research in reverse. Lancet 2002; 359:431-34.

7/21/2010 - Survey Research: Designing and Evaluating Questionnaries

Instructor:Weintraub, Jane

Objectives:
9. Describe types of survey research and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
10. Describe the characteristics of a good survey instrument;
11. Write and evaluate survey questions and response options.
12. Describe and compare different sampling methods for survey research.

Readings:
Scheuren F.What is a survey? American Statistical Association Series. Chapters 1,4, and 6.
http://www.whatisasurvey.info/

7/28/2010 - Measurement issues, diagnostic tests reliability, validity, bias

Instructor: Gansky, Stuart

Session Topic:
Measurement issues, diagnostic tests reliability, validity, bias

Objectives:
13. Define and illustrate the following measurement scales: dichotomous, nominal, ordinal, discrete, and continuous
14. Define and contrast reliability, validity, accuracy and precision.
15. Identify different sources of bias: measurement bias, sampling bias, reporting bias, and the Hawthorne effect
16. Calculate and interpret the sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test
17. Calculate and interpret the positive and negative predictive value


Readings:

Johnston LE. Statistics as a second language: A brief overview for the wary clinician. Seminars in Orthodontics 2002;8(2):54-61.

Greenhalgh, T. How to read a paper: Papers that report diagnostic or screening tests
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/315/7107/540
BMJ 1997;315:540-543 (30 August)

For full series of articles from the collection: How to read a paper. The basics of evidence-based medicine see: http://bmj.com/collections/read.shtml

Example from Perry DA, Taggart EJ, Leung A, Newbrun E.
Comparison of a conventional probe with electronic and manual pressure-regulated probes.
J Periodontol 1994; 65:908-913

8/04/2010 - Observational Studies- critique

Instructors: Weintraub, Jane; Gerbert, Barbara; Chung, Lisa

Objectives:
21. To critique observational studies published in the scientific literature based on assessment of the research question, study design and methods used.
Articles to critique to be distributed.

Readings
Dawson & Trapp. Chapter 13, Reading the medical literature.
p. 332-345.

Greenhalgh T. How to read a paper: Assessing the methodological quality of published papers. BMJ 1997: 315:305-308 (August 2)
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/315/7103/305

Greenhalgh T. How to read a paper: getting your bearings (deciding what the paper is about) BMJ 1997;315:243-246 (July 26)

08/11/2010 - Experimental Studies

Instructor:Weintraub, Jane

Objectives:
22. Describe the steps needed to conduct a randomized clinical trial (RCT) and be able to explain why it is a rigorous scientific method
23. Discuss the purpose of masking, randomization and matching in research
designs.
24. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different types of experimental study designs: pre-experimental, quasi-experimental and true experimental designs.

Readings:
Weintraub, Douglass and Gillings, Chapter 21, Clinical trials and experimental designs. p. 259-279

Leedy, Chapter 10, p. 220-221

Moher D, Schulz KF, Altman D for the CONSORT group. The CONSORT statement: Revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel-group randomized trials. JAMA 2001;Apr 18;285(15):1987-91
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v285n15/fpdf/jsc00437.pdf

Sutherland SE. Evidence-based dentistry: Part V. Critical appraisal of the dental literature: papers about therapy. J Can Dent Assoc. 2001 Sep;67(8):442-5. http://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-67/issue-8/442.html

8/18/2010 - Cell and molecular biology research

Readings:
Alberts, B. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th edition. Chapter 8, Manipulating proteins, DNA and RNA.
Cell and molecular biology Research: Lecture by Daniel Ramos on July 22, 2009


08/25/2010 - Experimental Studies - Critical Appraisal

Instructors: Hyde, Susan; Weintraub, Jane; Gansky, Stuart; Chung, Lisa

Objectives:
25. To critique experimental studies published in the scientific literature based on assessment of the research question, study design and methods used.

Articles to critique to be distributed

Designing a Research Protocol

Instructor: Featherstone, John

Objective:
26. Outline a research protocol for a research problem.

Reading:
Weintraub, Douglass & Gillings, Chapter 20, the research protocol. p. 243-55


9/1/2010 Qualitative Research

Instructors: Judith Barker, Elizabeth Mertz

Objectives:
27. Describe the differences in philosophical approaches used for qualitative and quantitative research studies.
28. Contrast the approaches to participant selection in qualitative and quantitative research.

Reading:
Greenhalgh T, Taylor R. How to read a paper: Papers that go beyond numbers (qualitative research) BMJ 1997;315:740-743 (20 September)
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/315/7110/740

Health Care Policy Research

Objectives:
29. Understand the three basic components of health policy research
30. Describe the basic rationale, concepts and methods used in policy analysis
31. Describe several key policy issues in the oral health care arena that are amenable to research.

Reading:

Mertz E, Anderson G, Grumbach K, O’Neil E. CPRC Policy Brief: Evaluation of Strategies to Recruit Oral Health Care Providers to Underserved California Communities. California Program on Access to Care September 2004; 16 (5).

Crall J. Oral Health Policy Development Since the Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health. Academic Pediatrics, 2009; 9(6):476-482. Special Issue on Children’s Oral Health.