Ruşen ERDEM, Burkay MOROĞLU, Yavuz Selim GENÇ, Nurbanu MOROĞLU, Ahmet YILDIRIM
Clinical Dentistry and Research - 2026;50(2):188-198
Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically identify the core themes, research trends, and underexplored topics in the clear aligner literature by employing a natural language processing-based topic modeling approach using the BERTopic algorithm. Materials and Methods: Publications on clear aligner therapy published between 2015 and 2025 and indexed in the Scopus database were retrieved by searching the title, abstract, and author keywords using the terms "clear aligner*" and "invisalign*." After restricting publication types, applying the English language filter, and removing records with missing metadata, a final dataset of 1,323 publications was obtained. The retrieved data were merged, preprocessed, and analyzed using the BERTopic algorithm to identify thematically coherent clusters and evaluate topic trends over time. Results: A total of 1,323 publications were analyzed, revealing distinct thematic clusters. "Mechanical and Surface Properties of Dental Materials" emerged as the most frequently published topic, while "FEM Analysis of Maxillary Molar Distalization" and "Bond Strength and Surface Wear of Composite Attachments" demonstrated statistically significant positive annual trend coefficients (p < 0.05), indicating their emergence as current hot topics. China, Italy, and the United States ranked as the top three most productive countries. Conclusions: This study analyzed the clear aligner literature published between 2015 and 2025 using a BERTopic-based topic modeling approach, revealing thematic priorities, research trends, and geographical patterns in the field. These findings suggest that advancements in clear aligner therapy are largely driven by innovations in materials science, developments in digital orthodontic technologies, and evolving clinical demands.
