EDITORIAL

Imbued with the Olympic Spirit

WG Evans

WG Evans: Managing editor, E-mail:bill.evans@wits.ac.za

The television screen is set to hold irresistible attraction during this Olympic time. In a vicarious feast of sport we shall live with the triumphs and the disappointments, the victors and the vanquished, the medallists and the also rans. What a spectacle is the Olympics, and what exertions have been required by all.. to be prepared to compete, to have the stadia ready, to ensure the stopwatches are accurate! It will be a close race but be sure Brazil will do this in style!

Brazil has high expectations.. not least in the field of Dentistry. Already regarded as having one of the highest standards of the profession, the country is well endowed with Dental Schools and with dental acumen. A recent count indicated a total of 232 courses in Dentistry, with some 10,000 graduates each year. The national ratio of dentist to population was given in 2011 as 1:745 although some Brazilian states recorded poorer stats, 1: 2050 and 1:1763.¹ There are some 240,000 dentists in Brazil, according to Euromonitor International. The profession supports seven Dental Journals, which in 2012 published 675 scientific articles.² Indeed there is an expectation that very soon, Brazil will overtake the United States as the most productive nation in terms of overall world scientific publications.²

Perhaps the enthusiasm is in part related to the Spirit of the Olympics. In Ancient Greece the Games were charged with the Concept of Olympic Spirit which included:

Areti: Virtue • Amilia: Noble Competition • Timi: Honour • Elefteria: Freedom • Irini: Peace

That is a pretty unbeatable combination. Athletes were, and still are, expected to win with honour and to suffer defeat in peace. A graceful acceptance in both circumstances.

The writing and publication of a scientific journal article carries some of the same considerations. In the first place the researcher has the freedom to explore and experiment, knowing that he/she has entered a noble competition where there may well be honour, provided there has been virtue in the research. Secondly, and finally, the author should have peace whether the paper is accepted or not, knowing that the paper has been dealt with honourably.

The Journal this month publishes papers of diverse emphases, but with a focus on Oral Medicine and Restorative materials. All our authors have successfully survived the stringent referee processing and it is with honour that we include their papers. Last year we published just over sixty scientific papers and perhaps that is by comparison a reasonable record from our dental population of some 4000 dental practitioners. That would not have been possible were it not for the referees who so consistently and willingly devoted time and energy to their tasks. They always had the freedom to decline a request but took on the responsibilities with an empathy for the aspirant authors who had entered the noble competition, publish or perish!!

To continue the Olympic analogy, papers receive their starting orders on arrival at Head Office and enter the first heat with their submission to referees. Some will trip at this stage and be obliged to withdraw, others may face a restart for despite all the training and preparation, there are yet flaws in the technique. These will have a further opportunity to race with a revision of the paper. Those who perform well are eligible for the final, and are published! Medals are possible! Now comes a dilemma, for there are times when the final is delayed, and authors have to wait until their own final is announced. To those who have had wait, the sincere appreciation of the Journal.

Publishing is not easy and the Journal could not survive without those who enter the race. The Olympic Spirit is alive and well in all those who support the Journal, a winner's crown to you all.

References

1. De Fonseca EP, Rocha CM, Kruger E, Tennant M, Mialhe L, Menghim MD. Distribution of dental schools in Brazil. Eur J Gen Dent 2016; 5:47-52.         [ Links ]

2. Normando, D. Editorial: The Brazilian Dental Science. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. 2014; 19:14.         [ Links ]