Interview: 'My goal is to promote membership of Brazilian researchers to IADR'

What is the status of dental research in Brazil?
Dental research in Brazil is at its best: according to data from IADR, we are the third country in terms of search for research articles, and Brazilian researchers have international reputation in all areas of dentistry. This is due to a policy initiated in the 1980s, when major Brazilian research centers encouraged exchanges of researchers and graduate students with American and European institutions.

What universities are most prominent in terms of research?
In our history the prestigious universities in the dentistry has been federal or state dental schools. But in this past decade some private schools have driven scientific quality.

What topics are the most studied in Brazil?
We have quality research and publications in international journals in all areas of dentistry, whether in basic research in laboratory and animals, as well as in areas of applied clinical research.

What type of support provides the government?
Government support is crucial for the development of research in Brazil, where we still lack a tradition of collaboration with private companies. Over 90% of our research is financed with government funds, whether state, federal or municipal.

What are your priorities as president of IADR's Brazilian Division?
My priorities are to:
1. Strengthen our journal, Brazilian Oral Research, in the Brazilian and the international scientific community. We cannot be the third country in the world in research without having an important journal to publish, not only for Brazilian researchers but for researchers from other countries as well.
2. Encourage the production of research focused in technological innovation and development of patents. Not just in my administration, but on a permanent basis for researchers to know how the whole process works.
3. Forge new relationships with private sector for research funding.
4. Promote membership of Brazilian researchers to IADR, which is now at 30%.
5. Promote and encourage participation at the IADR General Session in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012, which is the first international scientific meeting of IADR in a South American country.

Are the links between industry and academic research a conflict of interest?
No, the main thing is that research should comply with all ethical standards so there is no conflict of interest between the parties. If the industry provides funding for a project, it should benefit not only the researchers involved but also the institution where the research is conducted. This must be defined in a contract before the start of the investigation. Researchers and academic institution should be aware that the industry has the prerogative to publish the results or not. Clearly, when results are positive to the industry it is in its own interest to publish them in high-quality journals. And when results are negative they can be used to advance expertise in materials or techniques. What is unacceptable is the manipulation of data by researchers or the industry for their own benefit.

Protectionism benefits or harms academic research and the industry?
It does not harm in regard to research.
And I don't agree with the notion that because a product has been approved in the U.S. or Europe it should be approved automatically in Brazil. That's a simplistic way of looking at the issue, which may provide some parameters but should not be the final word, since at play are also factors such as the labor market or economic influence, which require specific rules and laws in every field of industry.
Furthermore, the notion that in developing countries research with human subjects is easier or that rules are "softer" has not disappeared.

Resources
• IADR: www.iadr.org
• SBPqO: www.sbpqo.org.br
• Sobrape: www.sobrape.org.br

References
• Incidence of tacrolimus-induced gingival overgrowth in the Absence of calcium channel blockers: a short-term study. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17433046.
• Relationship of subgingival and salivary microbiota to gingival overgrowth in heart transplant Patients Following cyclosporin A therapy. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15341348.
• Quantitative detection of periodontopathic bacteria in atherosclerotic plaques from coronary arteries. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19679682.