Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses

Learning objectives

    Explain the information components of a:
  • - Forrest-plot
  • - Funnel-plot
  • - Pooled measure
  • -Explain study heterogeneity

You consider to place a short implant in a patient with insufficient bone height. You wonder what the survival of short implants is compared to conventional implants. You search the literature and find a systematic review and meta-analysis on the topic. However, you are not quite sure how to interpret all the graphs in this paper and whether the results are reliable.

What is the difference between meta-analysis and a systematic review?
What is the dstatistical heterogeneity?

What are funnel plots, forest plots and pooled measures?