The H-classics approach offers an objective method to identify core knowledge in clinical disciplines such as ID, P, and OS.

This study aimed to determine the number and quality of scientific publications in dentistry from the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia between 1996 and 2018 using bibliometric analysis. Web of Science and Scopus were searched to identify scientific publications in dentistry between 1996 and 2018 by authors from centers in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The annual number of scientific publications, citation rate, and h-index for each publication, and trends in international co-authorship were investigated by country and institution. There were 651 scientific publications in dentistry between 1996 and 2018, by authors from Lithuania (280 publications), Latvia (210 publications), and Estonia (161 publications). Publications from Estonia were ranked highest in qualitative terms (citation rate and h-index), followed by Lithuania, and Latvia. Of 28 authors with at least ten publications, 54% were Lithuanian (15 authors), 25% were Estonian (7 authors), and 21% were Latvian (6 authors). Estonian authors collaborated mainly with Finland (27 publications), Latvian authors with the USA (16 publications), and Lithuanian authors with Canada (26 publications). Most publications came from the academic institutions of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (136 publications), the University of Tartu (109 publications), Vilnius University (101 publications), and Riga Stradins University (28 publications). During the past 22 years, authors from Lithuania had the most publications in the field of dentistry, and authors from Estonia had the most cited publications. Authors mainly published in native journals and collaborated with authors in Scandinavia and North America.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the scientific output of Spanish universities that offer a bachelor’s degree in dentistry through the use of various bibliometric indicators.Material and MethodsA total of 21 universities offered a bachelor’s degree in dentistry in academic year 2016-2017. The search for papers published by authors associated with these institutions was carried out using the selection of journals listed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and the Web of Knowledge database for the period 1986-2017. On the basis of these data, we determined the output, the h-, g- and hg-indexes, the most productive authors, international collaborations, and the most relevant journals.ResultsPublic universities obtained better results than private universities. The University of Valencia was ranked first, followed by the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Granada. The most productive author was José Vicente Bagán, but the author with the highest h-index was Mariano Sanz and Manuel Toledado. The universities with the greatest output and highest citation rates had more international collaborations. The most developed fields in Spanish universities were Oral surgery, Oral medicine and Dental materials. The universities had different models of production. At universities such as Barcelona or Valencia, the production was focused on very few departments and authors. At the other extreme, the University of Granada had various sources of research and authors, which meant that its output and citation rate could increase more.ConclusionsUniversity faculties must provide suitable academic and research training, and therefore must be assessed using objective criteria and bibliometric tools. Although the number of university schools and faculties that teach dentistry has increased, and particularly the number of private universities, there is no correlation between their quality and output and the number of places offered on their courses. Key words:Dentistry, h-index, impact factor, universities, Spain.