Hotspots and Trends in Research on clear aligner treatment: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis from 2000 to 2023

Background There is a surge in research on clear aligner treatment (CAT) with its growing appeal and controversy. This study presents a bibliometric analysis and visualization of CAT based on the 100 most cited articles. Methods Time confined from January 1, 2000 to September 30, 2023, using Web of Science Core Collection(WoS-CC), PubMed and Embase database as the data source, a total of 100 articles with the highest citation frequency on CAT were retrieved, and the data were analyzed by bibliometrics with the help of VOSviewer and CiteSpace. A prediction of public concern was made with the help of Google Trends and Prophet algorithm. Results There has been an overall upward trend in the quantity of publications. Notably, two out of the 23 journals published most of the 100 articles, and Progress in Orthodontics has the highest impact factor. In terms of countries, the United States, Italy and Germany were the main contributors. The University of Turin demonstrated the highest level of activity among institutions, while Castroflorio, Tommaso emerged as the author with the highest H-index. The majority of the articles were authored in collaboration. Key research hotspots in this area include tooth movement efficiency and accuracy, material stiffness and activation time, and oral health. Public concern like improving the capacity of doctors, retainer education and so on are worthy of attention. Conclusions This paper discusses the influential journals, countries, institutions and authors in this area, and explains the research hotspots through keyword analysis. It will serve as a valuable resource for researchers and professionals interested in CAT, providing insight into current research trends and potential future directions.