Mapping the Global Landscape of Temporomandibular Disorders Research in Children and Adolescents From 2000 to 2024: A Bibliometric Analysis.

PURPOSE: This study aims to detect influential works and authors, collaboration patterns, the developmental trajectory, current hotspots, and research gaps by multiple-perspective bibliometric analyses on publications related to temporomandibular disorders in children and adolescents from 2000 to 2024.

METHODS

All documents were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Excel, VOSviewer, Pajek, SCImago Graphica, and CiteSpace software were utilized for visualized analyses of research trends, co-authorship (including authors, institutions, and countries), journals, keywords, and cited references.

RESULTS

A total of 2208 articles and reviews were retrieved and extracted. Both annual publications and citations exhibited the trend of significant increases. Pedersen TK was the most productive author, while List T was the most cited. The co-author networks represented by Yang C exhibited independent activities and emerging trends. Aarhus University was the most productive institution. Malmo University was influential with the most citations. The United States of America was leading and majorly collaborative in this field. Most Asian countries demonstrated a lack of cooperation but growingly engaged. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation was the core journal. The keywords "diagnostic criteria" and "cone-beam computed tomography" were high in burst strength recently. The largest cluster of cited references was "juvenile idiopathic arthritis" (JIA).

CONCLUSIONS

Burst keywords and references showed that prevalences, the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders, temporomandibular joint involvement in JIA, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, and psychosocial factors were hotspots in recent years. It is hoped that this study will favor both clinicians and researchers by recommending valuable works, guiding their future work priorities, and inspiring their potential collaborations.