Celebrating the past 50 years and ushering in a new half-century

Article information

Restor Dent Endod. 2025;50.e11

Publication date (electronic) : 2025 February 17

doi : https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2025.50.e11

Kyung-San Min

Editor-in-Chief, Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics

Over the past few years, Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics (RDE) has developed rapidly and is now recognized as a leading international academic journal. Being indexed in databases such as Web of Science and Scopus has enabled scholars worldwide to access our literature efficiently, resulting in an ever-growing impact. Furthermore, as RDE’s reputation expands, the number of submitted papers continues to rise. This trend suggests a bright and promising future for the journal. In particular, the dedicated efforts of our current editorial board reinforce our confidence in these prospects.

This year marks a special milestone as RDE publishes its 50th volume, making it an opportune time to reflect on our history. Currently, RDE serves as the official journal of the Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry (KACD) and was designated as the official journal of the Asian-Oceanian Federation of Conservative Dentistry (AOFCD) last year. The journal debuted in 1975 as Volume 1, Issue 1 of the Journal of Korean Academy of Operative Dentistry (Figure 1). The first Editor-in-Chief was the late Professor Chung-Moon Um, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University School of Dentistry. Initially published as an annual journal, Volume 12, Issue 1 appeared in 1986 and Volume 12, Issue 2 in 1987, marking the beginning of a twice-yearly publication schedule. From 1988 onward, the journal was published twice a year; with the second issue that year, “Operative” was replaced with “Conservative,” and the title changed to the Journal of Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry. As the society grew and submissions increased, the publication transitioned to a quarterly schedule in 1999 and then to a bimonthly schedule in 2001.

Figure 1.

The cover of the first issue of the Journal of Korean Academy of Operative Dentistry (currently Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics), published on November 15, 1975.

In 2011, driven by the need for internationalization, KACD initiated a project to enhance its official journal under the leadership of former Editor-in-Chief Byeong-Hoon Cho. Beginning with Volume 37 in 2012, the journal was renamed RDE to emphasize the subdivision of domestic dental restorative medicine, and English was adopted as its sole official language; all papers in the third issue published in August of that year were in English. We also pursued inclusion in international academic databases. The journal was indexed in PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC) in 2013, included in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) in 2017, and added to the EBSCO database in 2022. Finally, it was selected for the Web of Science—Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) in July 2023 and for Scopus in December, further expanding its international reach.

RDE has now completed a significant 50-year journey, beginning in 1975, and is embarking on another 50 years starting this year. In the coming half-century, RDE will continue to contribute to the advancement of restorative dentistry and endodontics—not only among Korean practitioners but also within the global community. We firmly believe that inclusion in the Scientific Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and MEDLINE will be achieved in the near future. We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to the many editors who have tirelessly contributed to RDE’s development over the past 50 years. In particular, our heartfelt thanks go to former Editor-in-Chief Byeong-Hoon Cho, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University School of Dentistry, whose contributions were pivotal to the launch and internationalization of RDE. We are also grateful to Professor Sujung Shin of Yonsei University College of Dentistry for her long-term service as Co-Editor-in-Chief in the endodontic section. Additionally, we thank former President Kyoung-Kyu Choi and current President Jin-Woo Kim for their invaluable assistance in securing RDE’s inclusion in internationally renowned databases. Finally, our sincere appreciation goes to all editorial board members—especially section editors and associate editors—whose continued dedication and passion drive the journal forward.

In 2024, RDE published a total of 40 papers, including review articles, research papers, and case reports. Each paper underwent rigorous review by 135 dedicated reviewers who demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence. Thanks to their diligent and constructive efforts, RDE consistently published high-quality work in a timely manner. In particular, Dr. Bo-Kyung Shin and Dr. Soram Oh received Certificates of Appreciation for their outstanding contributions to the review process. We sincerely thank all the reviewers for their hard work and ask for your continued support in the coming year.

Once again, I congratulate RDE on the meaningful achievements of the past 50 years, and I look forward to our continued growth and development over the next half-century.

Warm regards,

Kyung-San Min

Editor-in-Chief, Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics