Predictors of Citations of Systematic Reviews in Oral Implantology: A Cross-Sectional Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Citation count is an important measure of academic productivity and evidence dissemination. This cross-sectional bibliometric assessment is aimed at identifying predictors of citations of systematic reviews (SRs) published in 2010 in the field of oral implantology. SRs published in the field of oral implantology in the year 2010 in three electronic databases were identified. Following which, data were extracted from selected SRs including number of authors, number of institutions, international collaboration status, number of references, and journal impact factor (JIF). Methodological quality of SR was evaluated separately using the “Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews” (AMSTAR) checklist. Bivariate associations between the extracted variables, including AMSTAR score, and citation count were examined. Simultaneous effect of all extracted variables and SR citation count were examined by a multivariable linear regression model. In the included 26 SRs, the number of authors and institutions ranged from 1 to 8 and 1 to 5, respectively. The JIF was on average 3.22 (±1.81), and the AMSTAR score ranged from 2 to 10. Total citations ranged from 0 to 123 in Web of Science and 1 to 245 in Google Scholar. Our analysis revealed a lack of significant (p >.05) correlation between the extracted variables and citation count. No reliable indicator that could predict the citation counts for SRs published in 2010 in oral implantology was identified. Of importance was the lack of significant correlation between AMSTAR score and citation count, which underscores the importance of careful appraisal of SR before incorporating its findings in clinical practice.