Intentional foraminal enlargement: a systematic review with bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review with bibliometric analysis was to map the available scientificevidence on intentional foraminal enlargement (IFE) and explore publication trends. Methods: This review is inaccordance with the PRISMA 2020 Statement and is registered on the Open Science Framework. Two independentreviewers carried out a comprehensive search of seven databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Scopus,Embase, Web of Science, LILACS, and BBO) up to January 31st, 2022. Studies that investigated IFE were consideredeligible, and the data were analyzed using the VOSViewer software. Results: The search identified a total of 55IFE-related articles from 10 countries and 25 journals, with an increasing trend for publications over the lastdecade. The majority of evidence was based on laboratory assays (65.4%), followed by randomized clinical trials(18.1%) with follow-up periods of up to 2 months. The main clinical outcome evaluated was post-operative pain.The highest number of studies were carried out by the State University of Campinas, and published in the Journalof Endodontics. Also, studies with the highest level of evidence found that IFE resulted in greater post-operativepain in the initial days post-treatment. Conclusion: This systematic review with bibliometric analysis mappedthe scientific progress and publication trends in the field of IFE, thus shedding light on gaps in the literaturewith the aim of guiding researchers to conduct more high-impact investigations by performing clinical studiesevaluating rates of periapical repair and IFE treatment success using long-term observation periods. KEYWORDSRoot canal preparation; Endodontics; Instrumentation; Systematic review; Bibliometrics.