The aim of this study was to explore the orthodontic literature in the most important orthodontic and other dental and medical journals from 1981 to 2000. The most commonly used medical bibliographic database, MEDLINE, was used. In addition, some journals were hand searched to estimate the error of the method. Despite some indexing inconsistencies, MEDLINE was found to be a powerful and relatively accurate tool for use in bibliometric studies. About 16,000 articles with orthodontic interest were published during this period. The number of orthodontic articles written in English rose during this period, but almost half of them (45%) were published in nonorthodontic journals. Articles in the orthodontic journals are focusing more and more on diagnosis and treatment evaluation as the need for high-quality evidence becomes obvious, while other topics, such as new techniques and new materials, are losing ground. Many high-quality studies with orthodontic interest are published in nonorthodontic journals with a high Impact Factor, remaining more or less out of reach for most orthodontists.