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.