Physiological Effects of Ingested Fluoride as a Public Health Intervention - Literature review Example

Literature Review Memo Introduction The objective of this literature review is to compare four articles about fluoride, based on their writing styles and quality levels. These articles are listed as below. 1. Peckham and Awofeso’s (2014) “Water Fluoridation: A Critical Review of the Physiological Effects of Ingested Fluoride as a Public Health Intervention” 2. Ling et al.’s (2013) “Evaluation of the Toxicity of Fluorine in Antarctic Krill on Soft Tissues of Wistar Rats” 3. Jetti et al.’s (2014) “Neuroprotective effect of Ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba against Fluoride caused Neurotoxicity” 4. Choi et al.’s (2012) “Developmental Fluoride Neurotoxicity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” The literature review also aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the information. With these purposes at the backdrop, the literature review memo will provide a comparative summary of the articles in order to determine the important skills of scientific research. Expectedly, the literature review will help to evaluate the scientific writing style followed in the selected articles. Additionally, as the literature review attempts to evaluate the evidences established in order understand the topic being discussed, i.e. side-effects of Fluorine, relevant knowledge from selected articles could be gathered. Furthermore, through the literature review memo, the choices and applications of the words could be understood better, especially in relation to the framing of scientific research. Simultaneously, the literature review memo also assisted in understanding the pattern of writing and strategies in the selection of languages during the framing of scientific research. Analysis: Comparing the sources Writing style One of the parameters to compare the selected articles in this literature review is the writing style followed by the authors. Considering this particular parameter, Stephen Peckham and Niyi Awofeso, authors of the article “Water Fluoridation: A Critical Review of the Physiological Effects of Ingested Fluoride as a Public Health Intervention”, have applied present indefinite tense and present perfect tense throughout the article; for example ― “Fluorine is the world’s 13th most abundant element and constitutes 0.08% of the Earth crust” (Peckham and Awofeso, 2014). The authors hardly applied past tense while describing preceding occurrences. Both the authors have applied passive voice sentences in order to express their thoughts, as can be observed with reference to their statement ― “Despite this community water fluoridation is endorsed by the World Health Authority, the US Public Health Agency, and most dental and public health organisations as a safe and effective method of reducing dental decay (i.e., caries), a major global public health problem affecting 60–90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults” (Peckham and Awofeso, 2014). On the other hand, Ling et al. (2013), in the article titled “Evaluation of the Toxicity of Fluorine in Antarctic Krill on Soft Tissues of Wistar Rats”, have attempted to inform audiences about the toxicity of fluorine in Antarctic krill. Considering the writing style followed by the authors in this article, it can be observed apparently that the authors have applied the present perfect tense and past indefinite tense in their discussion. At the same time, the authors have applied present perfect continuous tense ever rarely while describing preceding occurrences; for examples ― “body weight and viscera coefficients for kidney did not change significantly even after six months of treatment with F at 200 mg∙kg-1” and “Many recent studies have focused on the F in Antarctic krill, but the issue of F toxicity has been controversial” (Ling et al., 2013, p. 128). The review also makes it evident that the authors have used active voice sentences in order to express their thoughts, as in the sentence ― “The body weight of the rats and the viscera coefficients were considered as general indices for toxicity” (Ling et al., 2013, p. 131). Comparing with the above-reviewed two articles with Jetti et al. (2014), it can be observed that in this article titled, “Neuroprotective effect of Ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba against Fluoride caused Neurotoxicity”, the authors have used the present indefinite, present perfect continuous tense in order to present the article before the audience, as they state ― “With this background the present study was undertaken to investigate the structural changes in the various regions of the brain following fluoride exposure, to investigate the protective effect of ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba on the structural changes caused by fluoride exposure” (Jetti et al., 2014, p. 32). However, it has been identified that the authors have expressed their thoughts by using active voice in the major parts of the article. For instance, in the sentence where the authors state “The Neuroprotective effect of ascorbic acid is due to its antioxidant activity, treatment with vitamin C reduced the oxidative stress in chronic fluoride intoxication” (Jetti et al., 2014, p. 32). Again, in the article by Choi et al. (2012), titled “Developmental Fluoride Neurotoxicity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”, the authors offer a discussion in a conversational manner based on the research issue, and hence, no obligatory avoidance to colloquialisms was observed in the writing style of this article. In this context, authors have used the present indefinite, present perfect continuous tense in order to present the article before the audiences, as can be observed from the sentence ― “We specifically targeted studies carried out in rural China that have not been widely disseminated, thus complementing the studies that have been included in previous reviews and risk assessment reports” (Choi et al., 2014). Register Besides the parameter of writing style, the selected articles have also been evaluated on the basis of sentence length, word choice and colloquialisms under the parameter of register. In the case of Peckham and Awofeso (2014), the authors have expressed their thoughts by applying complex sentences instead of using simple sentences in their article. Simultaneously, in terms of choice of words, both authors have avoided heavy vocabulary and have rendered focus on making the discussion enriched with simple words in their article. However, considerable stress has been provided on avoiding colloquialism in Peckham and Awofeso (2014). Based on the stated parameter of register, only insignificant difference was observed between Peckham and Awofeso (2014) and Ling et al. (2013). In Ling et al. (2013) too, the authors have concentrated on expressing their thoughts regarding ‘the toxicity of fluorine in Antarctic krill’ by framing simple sentences rather than using complex sentences. Simultaneously, in order to choose words, Ling et al. (2013) have used simple and common words, with the goal of making the article understandable to a larger number of readers. Again, in Jetti et al. (2014), most sentences of the article have been designed with the help of simple words in order to ensure the acceptance of a large number of readers avoiding colloquialisms similar to the two prior articles. Moreover, the authors have tried to highlight the objectivity of the article with the help of secondary analytical approaches along with pictorial representation using simple words to comprehend the facts in the article in the most comprehensive manner. Simultaneously, applying the same parameters to Choi et al. (2014), it has also been perceived that simple words have been utilized in this article in order to attract the readers’ attention. With respect to the selection of words by the authors, a comparative approach has been applied in this article and hence, no significant difference could be observed in the discussion of Choi et al. (2014) in comparison with other articles discussed and reviwed above. Objectivity The third parameter used in this literature review is objectivity. With respect to objectivity, Peckham and Awofeso (2014) have tried to avoid the reflective approach in their article. Correspondingly, in order to identify the validity and reliability of the article, authors Peckham and Awofeso have gathered most of the information from peer reviewed journals. In this regard, authors have concentrated on revealing the issues associated with ingested fluoride (Peckham and Awofeso, 2014). On the other hand, in order to highlight the objectivity of Ling et al. (2013), the authors have applied comparative view and analytical approaches. In this article, the authors have aimed to achieve their objectives by highlighting the issue for the readers using certain measures, which was evidently identifiable in the article (Ling et al., 2013). In comparison to these two articles and Choi et al. (2014), the objective in Ling et al. (2013) can be observed as slightly vague or unclear. This can be further noted as a weakness of this article, although the authors paid due attention to deliver the opinion on the research issue in a succinct and comprehensive manner. Again, in Choi et al. (2014), the research issue has been apparent and clear, based on exhaustive research emphasising the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Water Resources Abstracts, and TOXNET databases through 2011 for eligible studies. In addition, the authors have also used the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database to derive information relevant to cause an impact of Fluoride Neurotoxicity on animals (Choi et al., 2014). Validity or Trustworthiness The fourth and the last parameter chosen to compare and contrast the selected articles is trustworthiness or validity. It is in this context that Peckham and Awofeso (2014) was reviewed to have applied numerical data in order to create a clear perception before the audiences, wherein, through the help of this study, the authors have intended to exploit their thoughts in a comparative analytical manner. Moreover, the authors have recognised the way these critical issues have affected individuals; finally, recommending their thoughts regarding how to deal with the challenges associated with ingested fluoride. Simultaneously, the authors have also interpreted their thoughts and analysis using the thematic analysis technique in order to make the readers more comfortable and thereby adding to its trustworthiness (Peckham and Awofeso, 2014). Again, evaluating the validity and reliability of Ling et al. (2013), it can be asserted that authors have collected most of the data and information from quality sources, including peer reviewed journals and magazines among others. Additionally, the authors have utilized numerical data, graphical representation and diagrams in order to establish a visual perception of the audience (Ling et al., 2013). On this note, considering the validity and reliability of Jetti et al. (2014), it can be affirmed that the authors have gathered most of the information and from quality secondary sources such as peer reviewed journals and magazines among others. Furthermore, it has also been identified that authors have applied numerical data, graphical representation and diagrams in order to interpret their thoughts towards the readers. Accordingly, in this article the authors have exploited their thoughts in a descriptive manner by concentrating on the issue of the neuroprotective effects due to neurotoxicity. In addition, the authors have focused on the different ways affirming how the issue has exploited among the individuals (Jetti et al., 2014). On the other hand, with the aim of identifying the validity and reliability of the article, it has been perceived that the authors in Choi et al. (2014) have collected most of the information from peer reviewed journals. Additionally, it has also been recognized that the authors have applied numerical data, diagrams and charts in order to develop and convey a clear perception for the audiences. Similarly, in this article, the authors have intended to highlight the effects of fluoride neurotoxicity with the help of statistical data. Moreover, the authors have applied statistical tools for the analysis of the data, which adds to its validity and reliability (Choi et al., 2014). Conclusions and Recommendations With due significance to the understanding obtained from the review conducted above, the literature review memo will be based on qualitative research methods. Accordingly, in order to conduct the qualitative research, the study will use secondary data collection method. Considering the rationale behind selecting qualitative methods for this study, it can be affirmed that the applied research method helped in analyzing writing style of the literature in a descriptive but objective oriented manner, owing to the inherent properties of qualitative approach. This method will also help to identify the objectivity of the literature along with its validity and reliability, which will accelerate the enhancement of the quality and clarity of the literature review conducted for the purpose of this study. In this regards, all the secondary data and information will be collected from the various books, journals and other online peer-reviewed sources. It is in this context that during the review, this particular literature review memo proposal has relied on peer-reviewed journals in order to collect data. At the same time, recently published journals have been chosen in order to ensure the validity of the research work (University of Durham, 2014; Kumar, 2010). References Choi, A. L., Sun, G., Zhang, Y. & Grandjean, P. (2012). Developmental fluoride neurotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Health Perspect, 120, 1362–1368. Jetti, R., CV, R., C. Rao, M., SN, S. & B. Babu, B. (2014). Neuroprotective effect of ascorbic acid and ginkgo biloba against Fluoride caused neurotoxicity. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, 8(1), 30-36. Kumar, R. (2010). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. United States of America: Saga. Ling, Z., Xiaoqi1, L., Zhangmin, W., Liqiang, Q., Linxi, Y. &Xuebin, Y. (2013). Evaluation of the toxicity of fluorine in Antarctic krill on soft tissues of Wistar rats. Advances in Polar Science, 24(2), 128-132. Peckham, S. & Awofeso, N. (2014). Water fluoridation: A critical review of the physiological effects of ingested fluoride as a public health intervention. The Scientific World Journal, 1. University of Durham. (2014). Calculating the full cost of a research proposal. Retrieved from https://www.dur.ac.uk/physics/research/funding/proposals/calculate/ Bibliography Cronin, P., Ryan, F. & Coughlan, M. (2008). Undertaking a literature review: a step-by-step approach. British Journal of Nursing, 17(1), 38-43. The University of Sydney. (2014). Article review. Retrieved from http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/documents/Article%20review%20final.pdf Read More