Mapping the knowledge of stomatognathic functions and orthognathic surgery

Aim: To conduct a scientific mapping of stomatognathic system functions and orthognathic surgery (OS) with a scientometric approach. Methods: The articles were retrieved from the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases in April 2022. The research included studies approaching OS and stomatognathic function assessment, without time or language restrictions. The Bibliometrix package and VosViewer software analyzed and mapped the scientific knowledge of stomatognathic functions and OS. The researchers extracted and analyzed data including productive institutions, highly cited articles, journals, authors, references, and keywords. Results: Altogether, 223 articles were included, covering the period from 1981 to 2024. The average annual growth rate was 2.96%, with a mean of 18.4 citations. There were 942 co-authored papers, and only six were authored by a single person, resulting in an average of 4.99 co-authors per document and a 2.691% proportion of international co-authorships. Network analysis revealed three clusters, covering topics such as “speech,” “cleft lip and palate,” “dentofacial deformity,” and “obstructive sleep apnea.” Keyword co-occurrence analysis also highlighted emerging trends; terms such as “orthognathic surgery,” “maxillary advancement,” and “obstructive sleep apnea” gained prominence. Conclusion: The continuous increase in studies and diversity of journals reflects the growing relevance of the relationship between OS and stomatognathic functions. The mapping emphasizes the importance of an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach in advancing knowledge of the functional and clinical implications of OS.