Sixty Years of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid Use in Endodontics: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Study

This bibliometric review aimed to analyze research trends and key characteristics of studies related to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in endodontics.

A comprehensive search was performed in May 2025 using the Web of Science Core Collection database. All study types were considered. Two independent reviewers extracted data on citations, publication year, journal, study design, topic, country, continent, institutions, authorship, and keywords. VOSviewer software was used to generate collaboration networks, and Spearman's correlation assessed relationships between variables.

A total of 1947 articles were identified, of which 944 met the inclusion criteria. The most cited article received 466 citations. The Journal of Endodontics was the most prevalent journal (n = 239). Laboratory studies represented 93% of all included publications. The most common research topics involved comparisons between EDTA and other chelating agents, as well as the deleterious effects of EDTA on dentin (n = 310). Scanning electron microscopy was the most widely used imaging technique (n = 277). The most productive author was Ballal NV (n = 24). Brazil led in number of publications (n = 180), while the Asian continent accounted for the highest overall output (n = 407). Spearman's analysis showed a strong negative correlation between citation count and publication year (r = -0.792), and a weak positive correlation with journal impact factor (r = 0.235).

This review demonstrates sustained global interest in EDTA. Brazil and Turkey are key contributors to this field. The predominance of in vitro studies highlights the need for future research to include more clinical trials and systematic reviews to enhance the strength of evidence.