RT Journal Article
T1 The Need to Improve the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the Excerpta Medica Tree (EMTREE) Thesauri to Perform Systematic Review on Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders
A1 Caponio, Vito Carlo Alberto
A1 Musella, Gennaro
A1 Pérez-Sayáns, Mario
A1 Lo Muzio, Lorenzo
A1 Amaral Mendes, Rui
A1 López-Pintor Muñoz, Rosa María
AB BackgroundDespite recent advancements in the understanding and classification of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD), their terminology remains inconsistent and heterogeneous throughout the scientific literature, thus affecting evidence-based decision-making relevant for clinical management of these disorders. Updating this classification represents a necessity to improve the indexing and retrieval of OPMD publications, in particular for systematic reviews and meta-analysis.MethodsThrough a critical appraisal of the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Excerpta Medica Tree (EMTREE) thesauri, we assessed gaps in the indexing for OPMD literature and propose improvements for enhanced categorisation and retrieval.ResultsThe present study identifies inconsistencies and limitations in the classification of these disorders across the major medical databases, which may be summarized in the following findings: a) The MeSH database lacks a dedicated subject heading for “oral potentially malignant disorders”; b) EMTREE indexing is incomplete, with only 5 out of 11 recognised OPMD having corresponding terms; c) Incoherent controlled vocabulary mappings hinder systematic literature retrieval.ConclusionTo ensure accurate evidence synthesis, the authors recommend searching both PubMed and Embase for OPMD studies. Moreover, the use of Embase’s PubMed query translator and Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT, may lead to retrieval biases due to indexing discrepancies, posing challenges for early-career researchers and students. We recommend introducing “oral potentially malignant disorders” as a standardised subject heading. Evidence-based medicine underpins clinical decision support systems, which rely on standardised clinical coding for reliable health information. Enhanced medical ontologies will facilitate structured clinical coding, ensuring interoperability and improving clinical decision support systems.
PB Wiley
SN 0904-2512
YR 2025
FD 2025-03-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120063
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120063
LA eng
NO Caponio VCA, Musella G, Pérez-Sayáns M, Lo Muzio L, Amaral Mendes R, López-Pintor RM. The Need to Improve the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the Excerpta Medica Tree (EMTREE) Thesauri to Perform Systematic Review on Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders. J Oral Pathology Medicine. 2025 Mar 9
DS Docta Complutense
RD 18 dic 2025