The Application Of Quantum Dots In Dental And Oral Medicine

To present an overview of quantum dots’ (QDs) applications in dental and oral medicine, identify research gaps in existing relevant research, and provide insights into future research. Electronic and manual search were conducted across five databases from their inception to April 2024. Articles that investigated the applications of QDs in dentistry were included. At least two authors extracted independently and in duplicate the characteristics of the included articles. Altmetric Explorer was used to identify the articles’Altmetric Attention Score (AAS). VOSviewer was utilized in co-occurrence Analysis. Citation counts were harvested from Web of Science (WOS). Included 87 articles span seven key areas: bioimaging (n=21), antibacterial effect (n=20), tooth restoration (n=15), oral cancer therapy (n=12), tissue engineering (n=10), biosensing (n=6), and anti-inflammation (n=3). 62 publications were not mentioned in social media and other sources of AAS (median 0, interquartile range 0-1), and only one article featuring a mouthguard containing ZnOQDs, generated relatively high social impact (AAS=24). No significant correlation was found between AAS and citation counts in WOS. This study emphasizes the great potential of QDs in enhancing the quality and efficiency of dental clinical diagnosis and treatment. They not only show the possibility of applications beyond the traditional function, but also provide a completely new concept for improving oral disease diagnosis and treatment technology. However, successful clinical translation requires ongoing research and optimization, which is a critical process.