Scientometric Analysis of Research on Oral and Gut Microbiota and Periodontitis: Collaborative Networks, Emerging Patterns, Thematic Evolution

Aim: To perform a scientometric analysis of scientific literature related to microbiota and periodontitis. Materials and methods: A search strategy was applied on 21 July 2024, identifying 1,069 papers from 408 different sources. However, nine articles could not be exported to SciVal due to incomplete metadata. The documents, including 722 articles, 282 reviews, 44 book chapters, among others, showed an annual growth rate of 7.53%. Bibliometrix and SciVal were used for data extraction and analysis. Results: A total of 1,069 papers from 408 different sources, published between 2019 and 2024, were identified. The most frequent terms in the research were “periodontitis”, “oral microbiome”, “microbiome”, “periodontal disease”, and “dysbiosis”. According to Lotka’s Law, most authors in the field contributed a small number of papers. The most cited journals in this field were “Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology”, “Journal of Oral Microbiology”, and “Periodontology 2000”. Analysis of the thematic evolution shows an increasing intersection of topics in recent research, reflecting the multifaceted nature of periodontitis and its interaction with a variety of other health factors. Conclusion: Research on periodontitis and microbiota is multifaceted, interacts with a variety of health factors, and shows a growing intersection of topics in recent research. Clinical significance: This study presents a detailed review of the literature on gut microbiota and periodontitis, notes on current developments, and gives hints regarding still emerging themes. Its findings may serve to continue with future guidelines or research and to understand the relationship of gut microbiota with periodontitis.