Mapping the research landscape of the Balkan Journal of Dental Medicine (2014-2024): A bibliometric analysis

Sažetak

Background/Aim: The Balkan Journal of Dental Medicine (BJDM) is the official scientific publication of the Balkan Stomatological Society (BaSS), established to promote regional cooperation and the dissemination of dental research. This study aimed to evaluate the journal's publication, collaboration, citation, and thematic patterns over an eleven-year period (2014-2024) using bibliometric methods. Material and Methods: The analysis included all 324 articles published in BJDM between 2014 and 2024. Data were obtained from the Serbian Citation Index (SCIndeks) and supplemented with citation counts from the Web of Science (WoS). After data cleaning and standardization, analyses were conducted in R using the bibliometrix package (version 4.3.3) and its biblioshiny interface. Descriptive indicators and science mapping techniques were applied to examine publication output, authorship, institutional and international collaboration, citation performance, and thematic evolution. Results: Original research articles accounted for about 62% of all publications, with review papers achieving the highest citation rates. Greece and Serbia were the leading contributors, while 13.9% of papers involved international collaboration. The most cited paper (Vouzara et al., 2018) received 14 citations. Keyword and trend analyses revealed consistent focus on core dental fields-prosthodontics, endodontics, and oral surgery-alongside the emergence of newer topics such as dental materials, oral radiology, and forensic dentistry. Conclusions: BJDM has established itself as a stable regional platform for scientific exchange, with growing thematic diversity and modest but increasing international visibility. Strengthening collaboration, encouraging high-quality evidence-based studies, and maintaining consistent publication standards will further enhance the journal's impact and prospects for indexing.