A Bibliometric Analysis of Clear Aligner Treatment (CAT) From 2003 to 2023

Clear aligner treatment (CAT) has been evolving over the past two decades. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive and up-to-date bibliometric analysis of publications related to CAT, presenting the research trends, landscapes, and hot spots in this field. All publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection from 2003 to 2023. In addition to a general analysis of research landscapes, the following items were analyzed, i.e., countries, institutions, authors, journals, publications, and keywords. A total of 1031 relevant publications were included in this study. From 2003 to the present, the number of publications and citations in this field showed an increasing trend. Italy led in terms of publication counts, and Sichuan University in China had the highest publication counts among institutions. In total, 33 scholars had published a minimum of 10 articles, and the collaborations among them were mostly within each country. The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics published the most relevant publications. "Predictability of tooth movements," "influencing factors for clinical efficacy," "biomechanics," and "patients' perception and periodontal health" stood out as the core research focus on CAT. Our study identified the most influential countries, institutions and authors, and their cooperative relationships, and detected hot research topics on CAT, calling for more high-quality international collaborative research in the future.