Research Trends in Periodontitis and Alzheimer's Disease: A Bibliometric Analysis Based on Web of Science and Scopus

TL;DR

This study maps global research trends linking periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease, highlighting emerging topics like the oral microbiome.

Contribution

This is the first bibliometric analysis to systematically explore the intellectual structure of research connecting periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease.

Findings

China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University are leading contributors to this research field.

Key research themes include 'dementia', 'tooth loss', and 'Porphyromonas gingivalis'.

'Oral microbiome' and 'oral health' are identified as emerging research frontiers.

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to identify global research trends, key contributors and emerging hot spots in the field investigating the association between periodontitis and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Scientific publications from 2002 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus databases. The data were analysed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace and the R package ‘bibliometrix’ to perform co-authorship, co-occurrence and citation analyses.

A total of 262 articles from WoSCC and 272 from Scopus were included in the analysis. China was the leading contributing country, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University was the most productive institution. The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease was identified as the most influential journal in this domain. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified central research themes, including 'dementia', 'tooth loss', and 'Porphyromonas gingivalis'. Citation burst analysis indicated that 'oral microbiome' and 'oral health' are currently emerging research frontiers.

This is the first bibliometric study to systematically map the intellectual structure and evolution of research linking periodontitis and AD. The findings underscore the strengthening link between oral inflammatory conditions and neurodegeneration.

The analysis highlights a shifting focus towards mechanisms such as the oral microbiome and systemic inflammation, pointing to promising directions for future research aimed at novel preventive strategies and therapeutic interventions for AD.

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