A bibliometric analysis of the 100 most-cited articles in dental materials journals

Background: Bibliometric studies are important as they provide an overview of research and scientific activity in a specific field. But studies of this type to determine the characteristics of the most cited articles in dental materials journals are completely lacking. Aim: To analyze the characteristics of 100 most-cited articles in dental materials journals since its inception through April 2019. Material and methods: Google scholar database was used to retrieve the list of journals titled with the term ‘‘dental materials”. A search was then conducted under "Publication Name" for each of the selected journals, and the articles were grouped by the category "Times Cited". The 100 highly cited papers published in five journals were contemplated in the eventual inquiry. The final collection was subjected to further scrutiny to determine the nature and characteristics of the documented revelations regard to journal name, year of publication, authors and their country, type of article, and area of research. Results: The 100 most-cited articles were published between 1985 and 2016 with maximum publications during 2001-05. The number of citations was ranging from 1926to 304. Only Dental Materials (97), Dental Materials Journal (3), shared the list.  The United States tops the list with 25 articles followed by Germany (12) and Belgium (11). Dental composites and adhesives were the most commonly addressed topics in dental materials journals. Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis connoted the evolving and interesting research trends in dental material science.