Analysis of the profile of metric-based reviews published in dentistry and proposal for a standardized guideline: metrics.

Metric-based reviews have been rapidly growing in dentistry. Analyzing their scientific profile and proposing a design method is essential for ensuring quality. This study aims to analyze the profile of metric-based reviews and establish a reporting guideline for such studies in dentistry. The search for articles was conducted in Scopus in December 2024. The main characteristics of the studies were extracted. Collaborative network maps were created using VOSviewer. A guideline was developed based on the profile of the selected reviews. A total of 683 articles were included in the analysis. A significant highlight was observed for bibliometric reviews (n = 631), followed by altmetric studies (n = 31), which were typically global in nature (n = 497). Most reviews aimed to evaluate the scientific landscape of a specific dental topic (n = 530). The articles were primarily associated with general dentistry (n = 172). Most studies conducted their searches in a single database (n = 530). Bibliometric analyses were predominantly conducted on the Web of Science (n = 248), while altmetric analyses were mainly conducted on Altmetric (n = 31). Brazil was the country with the highest representation (n = 121). The practical guide (METRICS) was developed based on the analysis of the reviews. Metric-based analyses have grown dramatically in recent years in the field of dentistry. These studies were mainly global bibliometric reviews associated with general dentistry, with a significant contribution from Brazilian researchers. The protocol developed is essential for ensuring standardization and higher quality in future analyses.