Treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: A Visual Analysis of Research Hotspots

OBJECTIVES: Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) is a disease with a high incidence rate in oral-maxillofacial diseases. Currently, there is no universal treatment guideline, and no bibliometric research has been utilized for the treatment of TMD. Thus, this study purposes to explore the research hotspots and trends on the treatment of TMD, providing references for related research and clinical practice. METHODS: The literature related to the treatment of TMD from January 1, 1995, to August 1, 2025, was extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) dataset. The research trends related to this field were analyzed by utilizing the bibliometric software tools VOSviewer and Bibliometricx. RESULTS: A total of 8702 articles were included in this study. Since 1995, the published articles have generally shown an upward trend. The United States and China are the countries that have produced the largest number of publications, and Sichuan University is the most contributing affiliation. YANG C is the author who is the most productive and frequently cited. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the journal with the most publications and citations in this field worldwide. In addition, the high-frequency keywords such as "temporomandibular joint", "disorder", "pain", "treatment", and "management" occur most frequently, indicating that the research in this field concentrates on the pain and treatment of TMD. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an objective and data-driven overview of the treatment of TMD, confirming that the current research mainly lies in the treatment and management of TMD pain. It lays the foundation for continuous research in this field and offers valuable insights for future research directions.