Visual Mapping of Global Studies on Dental Hygienists: Trends and Emerging Hotspots

To analyse the current status and emerging research trends in the field of dental hygienists using a bibliometric analysis.

Relevant literature on dental hygienists published up to 28 January 2025, was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric and visualisation analyses were conducted using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Pajek, Tableau and Excel.

A total of 1,835 publications related to dental hygienists were included. The annual number of publications showed a fluctuating upward trend, peaking at 167 articles in 2024. The research involved 94 countries and regions, as well as 209 institutions. The United States had the highest publication output, with the University of Michigan ranking as the most prolific institution. The top three high-frequency keywords were 'dental hygienists' (323 occurrences), 'oral health' (275), and 'dental hygiene' (260). Keyword clustering analysis identified 13 thematic clusters. The most prominent emerging keyword was 'allied dental education'. Notably, 'infection control' and 'health' started to gain prominence in 2022.

Global dental hygiene research centres in North America and Europe, led by US institutions, with evolving priorities from prevention to public health integration, particularly in infection control. These findings inform tailored strategies for developing countries to advance DH professionalisation and address oral health disparities.