From Data to Discovery: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Research Analysis on Bone Grafting in Oral Implantology

To investigate dental implant bone grafting in the literature to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current research landscape and emerging trends in this topic via bibliometric analysis, thereby informing future research directions to ensure the long-term stability of implants.

Using the Web of Science database, we conducted a comprehensive search for articles pertaining to dental implant bone grafting published between January 1, 2014, and November 20, 2024. Our analysis encompassed several bibliometric parameters, including the number of publications, publication year, journal, impact factor, title, author, institution, keywords, and citation count. We employed VOSviewer to perform keyword co-occurrence network analysis and co-citation network analysis, and CiteSpace was used for national collaboration analysis and coupled clustering. Additionally, we leveraged online platforms for further visualizations.

A comprehensive search yielded 384 articles published across 143 journals, authored by 2,066 individuals affiliated with 714 institutions spanning 52 countries, and encompassing 1,886 distinct keywords. The journals Clinical Oral Implants Research and The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants exhibited the highest publication volumes. Seoul National University emerged as the most prolific institution in this domain. China was identified as the leading country in terms of publication output, while the United States demonstrated the highest level of international collaboration. The term 'osseointegration' was the most frequently occurring keyword.

This study quantitatively analyzes the literature on dental implant bone grafting from the past decade, highlighting a shift from focusing solely on implants to actively promoting bone regeneration using biologic materials and technology. Future developments emphasize the transition from macroscopic to molecular biology, along with drug-assisted treatments, digitalization, and personalization.