We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Chiarella Sforza has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of “Pediatric Dentistry” in Children (ISSN: 2227-9067). We look forward to her contribution to the continued success of Children.

Name: Prof. Dr. Chiarella Sforza

Affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Universita degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy

Interests: anatomy; face; 3D; craniofacial growth and development; evaluation of orthodontic treatments effects; clinical trial; special need patients; craniofacial syndromes; dental arches in pediatric population and their development; medical imaging 

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Chiarella Sforza:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?

Childhood is a very important part of our lives, and, thus, we must help all children to live their life in the best possible way by giving them the best support to become the future generation of adults. This can happen in a variety of ways, starting from a full understanding of their physical, physiological, and mental characteristics that are not just down-sized copies of adult ones.

The presence of a journal devoted to them opens the possibility of a fertile discussion among scientists, practitioners, and teachers. Children can be an agora, a public place for interchange, where good practices can be shared and new knowledge exchanged.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

The "Pediatric Dentistry" Section in Children should help authors share their results with colleagues, focusing either on a better description of children and how they change progressively, or on specific childhood diseases and their diagnosis, as well as treatment planning and follow up. 

The journal, together with top-level basic, translational, and clinical research, should also present short technical notes that help with practical issues. Experts’ opinions on selected topics of current interest may be an additional way to share knowledge.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

The general awareness that children’s health and diseases are unique, or have a distinct treatment, is growing, and is also supported by journals such as Children. We have to support the current and the next generation of medical doctors, pediatric dentists, dental hygienists, speech therapists, etc., to improve their understanding of childhood and pediatric treatment. Therefore, practical notes on technical issues should complement the classical reports of clinical, basic, and translational themes.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

As a researcher working in a public university, I support the Open Access policies proposed and promoted by our governments and regulatory agencies. As my research is carried out using public funds, the relevant results should be made freely available to all the citizens. Unfortunately, this policy is not fully supported from a financial point of view as, in some occasions, there might be some budgeting issues.