A decade of progress: biliometric analysis of trends and developments in early childhood caries research.

BACKGROUND: Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common oral disease in children, and its causes are complex and diverse, which has a serious impact on children's physical and mental health. Over the past decade, a large number of studies have investigated ECC in depth, and bibliometrics can reveal its research trends within specific fields. MATERIALS: ECC-related publications published in the last decade were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The publication year, country, institution, author, journal and keywords were visualised by using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. CONCLUSION: Through bibliometric analysis, this study delineated a comprehensive landscape of ECC research hotspots and potential trends, which provided necessary information for relevant decision makers to make decisions. At the same time, it also helped researchers in this field to conduct in-depth exploration and exchanges in the clinical and academic fields, and jointly committed to ECC research, and ultimately improved the oral health of young children.