Bibliometric analysis of Saudi dental journals from time of inception to 2023

Objective

To describe the patterns of authorship, collaboration, study type, specialty, and funding status of articles published in Saudi dental journals.

Methods

All articles published in Saudi dental journals in English from their inception to 31st December 2023 were identified. The following data were extracted using pre-pilot forms: publication date, number of articles, study type, authorship patterns, nature of collaboration, article specialty, and funding status. Descriptive statistics included the calculation of frequencies and percentages.

Results

Five Saudi dental journals were identified, with a total of 2574 published articles. The journal with the highest number of studies published was the Saudi Dental Journal (33 %), followed by the Saudi Journal of Oral and Dental Research (25 %), Saudi Endodontic Journal (17 %), Journal of Orthodontic Science (14 %), and Saudi Journal of Oral Sciences (11 %). The first authors of most studies were academics (89 %) and from Asian countries (84.3 %). The average number of authors per publication was four (standard deviation = 2). Approximately 13.13 % of the articles were solo-authored. International collaboration was observed in 14.76 % of the identified studies. One-quarter (24.3 %) of the studies were cross-sectional, and just under half of the publications were in the fields of endodontics and orthodontics. Furthermore, 8 % of the studies were funded.

Conclusion

The research output of Saudi dental journals was produced mainly by academics and involved national-level collaborations with a limited number of funded studies. Therefore, there is a need to encourage the publication of high-quality research and international research partnerships.