Publication trends and knowledge structures in implant dentistry over 25 years: a text-mining study

This study examined changes in implant dentistry research topics from 2000 to 2024 by applying word-frequency analysis and topic modeling to abstract text.

We analyzed 10,496 PubMed abstracts published between 2000 and 2024 in 4 major implant dentistry journals: Clinical Oral Implants Research, Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research, International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants, and Journal of Oral Implantology. After preprocessing, changes in word frequency were calculated. To characterize the contextual progression of clinical research trends, we performed an in-depth analysis using BERTopic, a transformer-based topic-modeling technique.

BERTopic analysis identified notable shifts in publication themes. Topics that were dominant early in the study period, such as "implant surface characteristics" and "preclinical animal studies," declined steadily, suggesting consolidation of foundational knowledge. In contrast, topics related to long-term clinical stability, including "peri-implantitis" and "marginal bone loss," increased substantially. Digital workflow topics, including "computer-guided surgery" and "digital scans," also showed a rapid upward trend and became a core research stream.

Over the past 25 years, implant dentistry research has shifted from material-focused basic science toward clinical investigations emphasizing periodontal health, peri-implant tissue stability, and digital technology. This shift indicates that the field increasingly recognizes a healthy periodontium as a foundation of implant success. Extending these digital trends, future research is expected to expand in areas such as artificial intelligence-based diagnosis, patient-specific digital solutions, and the long-term management of peri-implantitis and marginal bone loss.