Clear aligners: A network and bibliometric analysis of 50 pivotal articles

Abstract

Background: A bibliometric analysis uses statistical and mathematical methods to analyze the published literature, extracting meaningful information that helps to identify trends, assess research impact, and visualize key data patterns through graphs and trendlines.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to list the top 50 papers on clear aligners, evaluate them critically and apply a bibliometric analysis to investigate the achievements and prospects in this field of study.

Material and methods: A computerized database search (Scopus) was conducted on September 24, 2023, to find articles on clear aligners published in the scientific literature between 2013 and 2023. The top 50 cited manuscripts were chosen. Author-based characteristics were obtained from the Scopus database. The dataset from Clarivate™ InCites Benchmarking & Analytics™ and Journal Citation Reports (JCR) was used to determine parameters based on journals and articles. To improve the visual analysis, the keywords were collected systematically from the chosen articles.

Results: The database search produced a directory of the 50 most often cited articles out of 1,405 papers. Of the 50 most frequently cited works on clear aligners, 35 (70.0%) were original research studies and 15 (30.0%) were reviews. The keyword-network analysis indicated 'removable orthodontic appliance' as the most important and repetitive keyword.

Conclusions: The results of the present bibliometric study indicated that clear aligner therapy (CAT)-related papers received increasing citations. The study determined the most influential articles by highlighting their authors and the journals in which the papers were published.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis; clear aligner; clear aligner treatment; network analysis; orthodontics.