Trending topics in orthodontic treatment practices in the past 5 years: A longitudinal study on case reports

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the case reports published in the past 5 years in orthodontic journals in the Web of Science (WOS) indexes and evaluate the trending topics. Material and Methods: Following a search conducted by entering the keyword “orthodontics” in the WOS Master Journal List search site, four journals in the Science Citation Index (SCI) and five journals in the Emerging Science Citation Index (ESCI) were included in the study, and case report articles published in these journals between 2016 and 2020 were examined. The case reports were analyzed by examining each issue of each journal published during these years. In addition, frequently studied topics were examined under seven headings. Results: Only nine of the 16 journals in the list of related journals have published case reports in the past 5 years. The largest number of articles appeared in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics for the SCI group and International Orthodontics for the ESCI group. When the frequently examined topics were evaluated, it was determined that the highest number of articles was fixed orthodontic treatments (53.4%), orthognathic surgery (18.9%), multidisciplinary treatments (6.5%), and treatments for individuals with general health problems (6.5%). Conclusion: The number of case reports published has gradually increased in the past 5 years. The number of articles in the journals included in the SCI is higher. The subject variety of case reports is too great to be limited to a narrow field.