At the 18th National Congress in 2012, China introduced the comprehensive strategy of the “Five-in-One,” which included the strategic initiative to “vigorously advance the construction of ecological civilization.” Our nation has made significant strides in the development of ecological civilization. However, the challenge of addressing particulate matter pollution remains a critical issue. Urban roadside green belts play multiple ecological roles, such as reducing air pollution, sequestering carbon, and releasing oxygen. As a key component of roadside green spaces, the dust retention efficiency of these green belts is crucial for improving the air quality of our roadways. This study utilized Cite Space mapping software to visually analyze the volume of publications and emerging terms within the field of urban roadside green belt dust retention from 2004 to 2024. The results show that research in this area has evolved through three distinct stages of development. International studies began earlier and have yielded significant results; domestic studies, although starting later, have experienced rapid growth. Common research themes of mutual interest have been identified both domestically and internationally, including the “mechanism of plant dust retention,” “techniques and methods for measuring plant dust retention efficiencys,” and “factors influencing the dust retention efficiencys of garden green spaces.” At the same time, the plant dust retention efficiency has become a central focus in recent years for both domestic and international research, with keywords such as dust retention amount, dust retention efficiencys, and green plants becoming core content within the literature of the dust retention field.