Knowledge Mapping of Polyetheretherketone in Dentistry: A Bibliometric Analysis

Objective: To assess advancements in polyetheretherketone (PEEK) research within the field of dentistry. Methods: The search was conducted within the Web of Science database and included publications related to PEEK through 2023. The search string utilized comprised the primary focus term "PEEK" and additional keywords such as "dent*", "oral, restorat*", "prosthodont*", and "tooth, teeth, and implant*". Metadata encompassing titles, abstracts, keywords, authors, affiliations, countries, and references were extracted. Bibliometric metrics, including documents, authors, journals, and keywords, were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Results: Between 1997 and 2022, 607 publications on PEEK were found to have 12,115 citations. Scholars in China (138 articles, 22.7%), Germany (118 articles, 19.4%), and the United States (71 articles, 11.8%) actively participated in the research on PEEK, and publications from Germany (3594 citations, 29.7%) had the most citations. Dental Materials (45 articles, 7.4%) and the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (42 articles, 6.9%) were the major contributing journals. Among 1433 keywords, application-, material-and manufacturing-related keywords yielded highly normalized citations. The term map revealed that the major application of PEEK was related to dental implants. Conclusion: This analysis yielded crucial insights into the overall number of publications and citations related to PEEK and its diverse applications. China has emerged as the predominant contributor in this field, publishing the greatest number of articles. Notably, the University of Zurich from Switzerland stood out as the foremost institute in terms of both productivity and impact.