Scientific trends in clinical trials on tooth bleaching: A bibliometric and altmetric review.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics and trends of publications in clinical trials on tooth bleaching through a bibliometric and altmetric analysis.

Methods: A search was conducted in September 2024 on Web of Science Core Collection (WoS-CC) and Scopus. Two researchers selected articles and extracted key study characteristics. VOSviewer was used to generate bibliometric networks. Dimensions was consulted to measure altmetric data.

Results: 416 studies were included, published between 1990 and 2024. The most cited study obtained 164 citations on WoS-CC and 201 on Scopus. The studies predominantly investigated bleaching efficacy (n = 232), often employing double-blind designs (n = 146), conducted in adults (n = 403), randomized (n = 307), and mainly using hydrogen peroxide (n = 200) for at-home vital dental bleaching (n = 199). The majority of the articles were published by Brazilian authors (n = 165), with Loguercio AD (n = 70) and Reis A (n = 56) being the most frequent authors. The manufacturer FGM led with the highest number of investigated products (n = 153), particularly highlighting Whiteness HP Maxx 35 % (n = 40). VOSviewer revealed significant collaborations among authors and keywords. According to Dimensions, users of Mendeley and news outlets have shown great interest in whitening clinical trials.

Conclusion: This study highlighted a growing trend in clinical trials on tooth bleaching over 30 years, with a strong predominance of studies conducted in Brazil that primarily investigated bleaching efficacy through double-blind designs in adults using hydrogen peroxide.

Clinical Significance: Clinical trials on tooth bleaching represent one of the highest levels of scientific evidence guiding clinical practice, thus requiring thorough evaluation.