The evolution of the impact of educational background on oral health: A bibliometric and visualized analysis from 2000 to 2024.

Educational background is a major associated factor on oral health. However, comprehensive analyses of global research trends in this field remain limited. This study aimed to analyze the current status, hotspots, and developmental trends in research on the impact of educational background on oral health. This study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis using data from the Web of Science Core Collection database, covering the period between 2000 and 2024. The search strategy combined terms related to education and oral health. A total of 1080 articles were retrieved and analyzed using GraphPad 8.0.2, CiteSpace 6.2. R6, and VOSviewer 1.6.20 visualization software. This study examined publication trends, countries/regions, journals, institutions, authors and research hotspots. The analysis revealed a steady increase in publications over the study period, with a notable surge in the past 4 years. The United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and Brazil emerged as the leading countries. With the exception of 1 institution and 1 author from Brazil, the top 5 institutions, authors, and journals in terms of publication, citation, and collaboration strength are all from developed countries. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed that the predominant research keywords are centered most around health literacy. Keywords clustering grouped the terms into twelve categories, and the cluster of oral health education is the most highly focused area. The analysis of keyword temporal trends reveals a gradual decline in prominent research clusters over time, from 7 to 5 and then to 4. From 2020 to 2024, oral health knowledge, older adults, diseases, and students are emerging hotspots. The research landscape on the impact of education on oral health is dynamic and holds significant potential for further development. Enhanced collaboration among countries, institutions, and authors is essential to foster interdisciplinary advancements and address global challenges within this field. Recent trends in research indicate a growing specialization within subdomains and an increasing emphasis on early prevention.