Shifts in dental trauma research (2000-2025): a literature-based thematic analysis using topic modeling.

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study is to analyze the structural, conceptual, and temporal evolution of the dental trauma literature using the BERTopic algorithm, which can identify latent semantic patterns in large-scale textual data, and to reveal trends based on publication year, country, and journal. Materials and methods The keywords “dental trauma*” and “dental injur*” were searched in the title, abstract, and keyword fields of the Scopus database. Only English-language journal articles and conference papers published between 2000 and 2025 were included. Records lacking abstracts, institutional affiliations, or source titles were excluded. After applying these criteria, a total of 3,473 records were analyzed. BERTopic analysis was performed using transformer-based embedding, dimensionality reduction, and density-based clustering techniques. Results Thirteen themes reflecting the multifactorial structure of the dental trauma literature were identified. The theme “Dental Trauma and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life” represented the hottest topic, whereas “Dental Fractures in Traumatic Injuries” was identified as the coldest topic. A marked increase in publication volume was observed after 2006, and Brazil ranked first in terms of publication output. Conclusions Dental trauma research has long been clinically oriented but has recently evolved into a multifaceted field encompassing biological, educational, behavioral, and engineering aspects. However, technological approaches such as artificial intelligence have yet to gain presence in the literature. Clinical relevance To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first comprehensive mapping of the thematic orientation, temporal trends, and conceptual evolution of the dental trauma literature. It offers a clear overview of how dental trauma research has evolved over the past 25 years, enabling clinicians to understand shifts in clinical priorities and align their practices with current approaches.