Definition: The study of laws, theories, and hypotheses through a systematic examination of pertinent facts and their interpretation in the field of dentistry. (From Jablonski, Illustrated Dictionary of Dentistry, 1982, p674)
dent research as a field; avoid since most dental articles indexed contribute to "dental research"; IM general only on dent research as a field; NIM for status or progress of research in a special dent field or subject (IM); /methods: consider also RESEA
