Predicting the Future of Craniofacial Surgery: AI-Enabled Forecasting of Craniofacial Surgery Research and…

StudyThe Journal of craniofacial surgery· Aug 2026

Predicting the Future of Craniofacial Surgery: AI-Enabled Forecasting of Craniofacial Surgery Research and Future Clinical Priorities.

Georgios Karamitros, Georgios Bouloukakis, Gregory A Lamaris … William C Lineaweaver

Prediction Models & Risk ScoresStudyQ2IF 1.1

High-income countries produced nearly three-quarters of global craniofacial surgery research output.

Predicting the Future of Craniofacial Surgery: AI-Enabled Forecasting of Craniofacial Surgery Research and Future Clinical Priorities.

Georgios Karamitros … William C Lineaweaver

The Journal of craniofacial surgery · Aug 2026 · Q2 in Surgery

Background

Artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence) is increasingly used in clinical decision support and perioperative planning, yet its role in anticipating the future direction of surgical science remains underexplored.

Methods

We performed a retrospective bibliometric study of PubMed-indexed craniofacial surgery publications from 15 peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2025.

n = 25,625 publications

Results

high income countries dominate output, low and middle income nations barely contribute

High-income countries

74.5%

Lower-middle- and low-

5.1%

More results

Global output increased from 1059 publications in 2010 to 2688 in 2025, with a marked acceleration in the latter year.

By 2030, projected global output ranged from 2235 to 4547 publications under the primary uncertainty interval, with conservative and aggressive scenario bounds of 2381 and 4278, respectively.

More results

Congenital and Pediatric research demonstrated the greatest absolute growth, whereas Aesthetic Surgery showed the fastest relative expansion.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

Artificial intelligence-enabled forecasting converts publication trends into scenario-bounded foresight.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

By identifying where craniofacial research is accelerating, this framework may help journals, institutions, and training programs anticipate emerging clinical priorities, align resources with future patient-care needs, and support strategic planning for the evolving practice of craniofacial surgery.

Predicting the Future of Craniofacial Surgery: AI-Enabled Forecasting of Craniofacial Surgery Research and Future Clinical Priorities.

Predicting the Future of Craniofacial Surgery: AI-Enabled Forecasting of Craniofacial Surgery Research and Future Clinical Priorities.

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