Research interests and trends in alveolar ridge augmentation and visualization of articles from 1990 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to illustrate research interests and trends in the field of alveolar ridge augmentation (ARA) between 1990 and 2024. METHODS: A database search was performed in the Web of Science Core Collection to retrieve relevant studies published from 1990 to 2024. Bibliometric and statistical network analyses were conducted using R language, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer. Scientific maps were then constructed for journals, countries, institutions, authors, keywords, and citations. RESULTS: A total of 4386 papers were published from 1990 to 2024. Both annual publication output and citations exhibited sustained growth until 2021, followed by stabilization from 2021 to 2024. The journal with the highest number of publications and citations was Clinical Oral Implants Research. At the country level, the United States ranked first, with 1000 publications, while Europe was the most productive continent. Sixty-six high-frequency keywords were selected, among which 3D printing and polycaprolactone (PCL) emerged as the most recent high-frequency keywords. Thirty papers with the strongest citation bursts were selected. Additionally, 16 reference clusters were extracted, among which dental implants (#1), titanium mesh (#2), and tooth extraction (#5) gained prominence over the past decade. CONCLUSION: This study provides an overview of the development and research trends of ARA. The findings indicate strong contributions from the United States and Europe. Guided bone regeneration (GBR) was the most extensively studied technique for ARA, and alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) has also received substantial attention. The latest research themes focus on advances in defect-specific regenerative strategies, including 3D printing, PCL, and electrospinning. Given the limitations inherent to retrieval from a single database, further comprehensive data analysis is needed.