Inclusive Dentistry? Mapping the Landscape of Autism and Dentistry Research through Bibliometric Analysis

Conduct a bibliometric analysis of articles related to dentistry and autism. A search strategy was constructed and conducted at the Web of Science database. The following information was extracted from each paper: title, authorship, year of publication, title of the journal, study subject dental care, oral health status, dental behavior support), study design, and number of citations. A total of 2,637 articles were obtained from the WoS-CC search. After selection, 422 papers were included, published from 1996 to 2024, and had 6,728 citations. Observational studies constituted most publications (214 papers). Among the focus of published articles, "oral health status" emerged as the predominant subject followed by "dental behavior support". More than half of the included papers were published in the last five years, accounting for 70.6% of the total. There has been a notable increase in research publications on autism and dentistry over time, primarily comprising observational studies. The predominant themes revolved around oral health status and dental behavior support.