A bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most-cited case reports and case series in dentistry

Case reports are observational descriptive studies presenting unusual clinical conditions, rare disease occurrences, or introduction of novel treatment strategies. The present study aimed to identify and analyze 100 top-cited case reports/series in dentistry using bibliometric and science mapping analysis.

The Web of Science database was used to retrieve top-cited case studies published in dentistry from inception until April 28, 2024. Basic bibliometric information was obtained. Biblioshiny and VOSviewer tools were employed to conduct thematic map and author keyword, title, and abstract terms analysis to elucidate the research trends. Elsevier Scopus and PubMed databases were used to crossmatch citations.

The 100 top-cited case studies were published in 26 journals, originating from 25 countries, and collectively accumulated 23100 citations from 1967 to 2019. The citation counts ranged from 1368 to 123, 1673 to 41, and 1325 to 4 in the WoS, Scopus, and PubMed databases, respectively. The Journal of Periodontology first presented 20 articles and 4156 citations, followed by the Journal of Endodontics with eleven articles and 2247 citations. USA led in terms of countries while the University of Bern was the leading institution with 20 articles.

Although a great variation of the topics covered was documented, case reports in the field of dental implantology, periodontal regeneration, oral pathology, regenerative endodontic, and guided bone regeneration aspects had been the mainstay of the top-cited list.