# Dental Trauma and Quality of Life in a Paediatric Population (Up to 14 Years): A Bibliometric Analysis

## TL;DR

This study maps research on how dental trauma affects children's quality of life using a bibliometric analysis of 107 papers from 2006 to 2025.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive bibliometric overview of dental trauma's impact on children's oral health-related quality of life.

## Key findings

- Scientific output on the topic increased steadily, with most publications from Brazil and India.
- Dental Traumatology was the most productive journal with high local citation impact.
- Citation counts correlated weakly with journal impact factor but strongly negatively with publication year.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Dental trauma is common in childhood and may negatively affect oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Given the growing volume and diversity of publications on this topic, a bibliometric approach is suitable for mapping scientific production, collaboration patterns, thematic evolution, and citation dynamics. This study aimed to perform a bibliometric analysis of the literature addressing the impact of dental trauma on OHRQoL in a paediatric population up to 14 years of age. Methods: A bibliometric study was conducted using Clarivate’s Web of Science Core Collection (WoS-CC), selected for its standardized citation indexing and suitability for bibliometric analyses. Publications retrieved up to August 2025, without restrictions on language or year, were analyzed using VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) and Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix package). Indicators included scientific output, collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, thematic evolution, and citation performance. Spearman’s correlation was used to explore relationships between citation counts, journal impact factor, and year of publication. Results: A total of 107 articles published between 2006 and 2025 were included. Scientific output increased steadily, with publications concentrated in specific countries, notably Brazil and India. The predominant research focus concerned the impact of dental trauma on children’s quality of life. Dental Traumatology was the most productive journal and showed high local citation impact. Citation analysis demonstrated a weak positive correlation between citation counts and journal impact factor (rho = 0.37, p < 0.001) and a strong negative correlation with year of publication (rho = −0.84, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis identifies research trends, thematic stability, and collaboration patterns in studies on dental trauma and OHRQoL in children, highlighting regional concentration and limited international collaboration.