Photobiomodulation and Dentistry: Visualization and Analysis of Knowledge of the Most Cited Articles

Objective: The aim of this study was to map and analyze the 20 most cited articles on the use of photobiomodulation (PBM) in different areas of dentistry. Methods: To this end, in June 2024, a search was carried out in the main Web of Science Core Collection for the most cited articles in the following areas: implantology, oral surgery, restorative dentistry, temporomandibular dysfunction and orofacial pain, oral pathology and stomatology, orthodontics, and periodontics. There were no restrictions regarding the year, type of study, and language of publication. From the resulting search, the 20 most cited articles were selected in descending order in each of the cited areas. Information such as authors, number of citations, country of origin of the corresponding author, keywords, study design, year of publication, type of laser used, wavelength, power, and total irradiation time were extracted. Results: The results demonstrated that some characteristics were repeated in the various areas analyzed, such as the fact that Brazil was the country with the largest number of publications; the period between 2012 and 2016 presented the largest number of published articles; the type of laser used in the vast majority of studies was gallium-aluminum arsenide, while the most referenced power and wavelength were 0.25-99 mW and infrared (780-980 nm), respectively. The other bibliometric data varied greatly between areas. Conclusion: Thus, it was observed that PBM is a resource widely used in dentistry and that different protocols are used depending on the specialty, the tissue to be irradiated, and the purpose of the application.