Preprints in Dental Science: DentRxiv as a Strategy to Bring Dental Research into the Information Age

Abstract

In recent years, life-threatening diseases are etched in the minds of biomedical researchers: the 2015-2016 Zika outbreak in South and North America, the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in southern China. These rapidly growing viral epidemics endangered the lives of millions of people. To prevent and control these public health emergencies, rapid and global sharing the new data and experiences of biomedical researchers and health care professionals becomes essential. Yet, scientists faced with a traditional and persistent barrier: the slow process of peer reviews.[1] As an example, 97% of the related articles were published after the end of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong and Toronto.[2] Based on these events, in April 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) asserted: “re-publication information sharing should become the norm during future emergencies, with parallel initiation of submission procedures to journals along longer timeframes.”[3]