EDITORIAL
Former (First) SBPqO President, Full and Emeritus Professor of the University of São Paulo (USP)
It was my great pleasure, in response to the invitation by Professor Sigmar de Mello Rode, to write this editorial for Brazilian Oral Research, a journal published by the Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa Odontológica - SBPqO (Brazilian Society of Dental Research).
A pleasure because I was one of its idealizers and founders, and also its first President, elected to set-up and consolidate the SBPqO. The young researchers who today witness a thriving SBPqO are perhaps unaware of the events culminating in the founding of the SBPqO. It is therefore fitting to remind how the Society came into being.
For the first Bulletin of the SBPqO, published with the support of the FINEP, we wrote an editorial entitled How, Why and to What end, the SBPqO? in which we outlined how the Society first took shape, why it was created and to what end. At the time, I explained how the Society was the brainchild of five Professors and researchers, all of whom were dental school graduates and members of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).
On the 15th of June 1982, we convened with Professor Flávio Fava de Moraes at his home, together with Professors Wilson Chagas de Araújo, José Carlos Borges and Roberval de Almeida Cruz, to discuss Dentistry and dental research. We had all done stints in the United States to complete internships in our respective specialisms. This fruitful conversation gave rise to the idea of setting up the Brazilian Society of Dental Research, a society fostering Brazilian dental research. A year later, on the 5th May 1983, the SBPqO was founded at the premises of the Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo. Twenty-two dental professors and researchers were present at the time, and approved the societys bylaws based on the bylaws of the IADR and of the Brazilian Society of Biochemistry.
To refresh our memories on the ideas underpinning the Brazilian Society of Dental Research at the time of its foundation, allow me to transcribe what was published back then:
Nowadays, mankind is besieged by technology and by the introduction of novel, more effective possibilities of teaching and research; we are amidst a setting of searches and breakthroughs, the product of a culture in a state of constant dynamism, permeated by rapid change. Therefore, rigorous and concerted training of professors and researchers has become a basic priority. Our critical mass must be challenged. Science books and journals yield a huge volume of information. As scientific knowledge advances, the changes it ushers in can increasingly impact the quality of life of humankind. The process of assimilation and re-creation of ideas by man can be enhanced by open communication and free exchange of ideas, information and experiences.
This was penned in 1984, a year after the founding of the SBPqO, and following the holding of its first scientific meeting at the premises of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, which granted permission for us to use two of their class rooms. The event, funded by the FAPESP, saw the presentation of 53 studies.
The creation of the SBPqO represented the drive and initiative of numerous dental researchers that stood behind Brazilian Dentistry and, above all, believed in the ability of Brazilian professionals to produce original research. One of the goals established in the bylaws approved on the day of its foundation was to provide researchers with a forum for exchanging ideas and, where possible, to conduct collaborative research projects. Another important goal defined at the time was that the SBPqO foster chiefly graduate level research.
I can vouch that SBPqO is undoubtedly a benchmark in Brazilian dental research. Prior to its existence, dental research in our milieu was limited to a few groups publishing papers in International journals. Besides nurturing the next generation of researchers, the SBPqO also served to forge closer ties among Brazil's established research community.
With the consolidation of the SBPqO, the need arose for a vehicle to serve as a platform for Brazilian researchers to disseminate their studies. Hence, the SBPqO founded the Pesquisa Odontológica Brasileira journal, which, for the purpose of gaining International status, began publishing articles in English and was renamed Brazilian Oral Research.
In fact, following SBPqO's creation, there was a dramatic rise in scientific output in the field of dentistry, evidenced by an increase in grant applications to research funding agencies in a number of states and funding requests to the CNPq.
The technological advances we are witnessing today have driven scientific progress, particularly in the area of Biology. The so-called "IT Era" has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of scientific information available, where researchers are compelled to stay abreast of the reports published by their peers so as to remain aware of the latest directions in their field.
Recently, the FAPESP published the "Code of Good Scientific Practices" aimed at providing the scientific community with guidance toward preventing unethical conduct such as the fabrication or falsifying of results, and the inclusion of authors who have not effectively contributed to carrying out or authoring the research project. Considering that the SBPqO was created to further dental research in Brazil, I believe that this topic should be made an integral part of its agenda. This can be achieved by including a session in the Society's annual meetings, highlighting the importance of good scientific practice particularly among the younger generation of researchers.
Finally, I would like to congratulate all those who have worked selflessly to make the Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa Odontológica a scientific society of which Brazilian researchers can be proud.
Memoirs of the Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa Odontológica (Brazilian Society of Dental Research)
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
13 Dec 2011 -
Date of issue
Dec 2011
