The Brazilian Journal of Dentistry and Oral Radiology (BJDOR) requires that all research involving human participants be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki, as well as applicable institutional and national regulations.

Requirements vary according to the study design:

1. Clinical, observational, and experimental research

This includes clinical trials, prospective studies, retrospective studies with identifiable data, laboratory studies involving human material, epidemiological research, chart reviews, or interventional studies.

In these cases, authors must provide:

• prior approval from a Research Ethics Committee (IRB/REC)

• the committee name, approval number, and institution in the manuscript

• confirmation that participants provided written informed consent, when applicable

• documentation available to the journal upon request

Clinical trials should be registered in a public trial registry according to international best practices.

2. Secondary data or registry-based studies

If data are fully anonymized, studies may:

• require ethics approval, or

• receive a formal waiver

The manuscript must clearly state:

• ethics approval OR waiver

• the authority granting that decision

3. Case reports and clinical images

For case reports, case series, and clinical images, BJDOR requires:

Mandatory patient consent

• Written consent from the patient (or legal guardian) for publication is required.

• Consent must explicitly include authorization for clinical images, when applicable.

• The consent form must be retained by the authors and provided if requested.

Patient privacy takes precedence over scientific interest; publication without consent is exceptional and requires ethical justification.

Confidentiality and anonymization

Authors must:

• remove names, initials, records, and identifiable details

• avoid unique descriptors that allow indirect identification

• ensure anonymization does not alter scientific meaning

Even when anonymized, consent is required whenever identification is possible.

Ethics committee considerations for case reports

• Some institutions do not classify single case reports as research.

• If a formal waiver exists, it must be stated.

• If local regulations require ethics approval, it must be obtained.

Brazilian authors should follow CEP/CONEP – Plataforma Brasil requirements when applicable.

4. Author responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring:

• respect for participant dignity, privacy, and rights

• proper consent procedures

• ethics approval obtained prior to the study when required

• transparent reporting within the manuscript’s Ethics Statement

BJDOR may request supporting documentation at any stage of the editorial process.

For questions regarding human research ethics, please contact: brazilianjournalofdentistry@gmail.com.