Abstract
The relative citation rate (RCR) is a normalized article-level metric useful to assess the impact of research articles. The objective of this bibliometric study is to identify and analyze, in root canal disinfection, the 100 articles having the highest RCRs in the period 1990–2019, then compare them with the top 100 articles most cited. A cross-sectional study was performed, and the search strategy ((Disinfection AND root canal) AND ((“1990/01/01”[Date-Publication]: “2019/12/31”[Date-Publication]))) relied on PubMed (n = 4294 documents), and article data were downloaded from the iCite database. The 100 articles with the highest RCRs and the top 100 cited were selected and evaluated in bibliometric terms. Among the 100 articles with the highest RCRs, there were no differences in the three decades for RCRs values, but there were in citations, being 2000–2009 the most cited. The USA was the predominant country (n = 30), followed by Brazil (n = 14). The most frequent study designs were reviews (n = 27) and in vitro (n = 25) and ex vivo (n = 24) studies. All subfields were well represented, although they varied over time. In 2010–2019, regenerative procedures and irrigation/disinfection techniques were predominant. Considering the RCR’s top 100 articles, 76 were common with the 100 most cited articles. Using the RCR metric allowed us to identify influential articles in root canal disinfection, a research field with topics of significance that fluctuate over time. Compared to citations, RCR reduces the time from publication to detection of its importance for the readership and could be a valid alternative to citation counts.
Highlights
Bacteria and their by-products are the etiologic reasons for pulpal and periapical diseases
Of the 100 root canal disinfection articles identified as having the highest relative citation rate (RCR) from 1990–2019, 76 were identified as among the top 100 most cited, whereas 24 were not on both lists
The top 100 root canal disinfection articles identified with the highest RCRs between 1990 and 2019 shared 76 with the top 100 cited, and 24 were different in each listing
Summary
Bacteria and their by-products are the etiologic reasons for pulpal and periapical diseases. To enhance disinfection in secondary endodontic infections with more elaborate microbiota [6], or in cases involving a more complex anatomy of the root canal system [7], conventional treatment would not suffice to provide an adequate disinfection environment [1]. The use of intracanal medication with antimicrobial activity between sessions has been recommended to eliminate possibly persistent microorganisms and/or intracanal exudates, constituting an additional strategy in all the above cases, as well as in regenerative endodontics [8]. Such procedures commonly involve a mixture of antibiotics in a paste as intracanal medication [9]. Irrigating/disinfection techniques, e.g., sonically activated irrigation, high-power lasers, and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, among others, can contribute to achieving enhanced disinfection [10]
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