Applications of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins in Dentistry: A Bibliometric Analysis

Many articles on bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been published. Bibliometric analysis is helpful to determine the most influential studies in a specific field. This bibliometric analysis is aimed at identifying and analyzing the top 50 most-cited articles on the dental applications of BMPs.

An electronic search was conducted using the Web of Science (WoS) "All Databases" without any restriction of language, study design, or publication year. Of 1341 publications, the top 50 were included based on their citation count. After downloading the full texts, their bibliometric data including publication title, authorship, citation count, current citation index 2019, citation density, year of publication, country and institution of origin, journal of publication, type of BMP, study design, evidence level of publication, and keywords were extracted and analyzed.

The citation counts for the top 50 publications ranged from 81 to 557 (median 113.5). The most prolific year was 1997 (n = 7). Wikesjö UM (n = 12) and Wozney JM (n = 11) were the major contributors in this study. Most of the articles were generated primarily from the USA (n = 24), with Loma Linda University Medical Center, USA being the most prolific institution (n = 5). Majority of the articles were published in the Clinical Oral Implants Research and Journal of Periodontology, with nine publications each. Most of the publications were animal studies (n = 30) and focused on BMP-2 (n = 39). Most of the articles were within evidence level V (n = 36). The most frequently used keyword in the top articles was "bone regeneration" (n = 23).

The present study presents insights into the past and recent trends in the applications of BMPs in dentistry. A statistically significant association was observed between citation count, citation density, and age of publication.