Bibliometric Analysis of the 100 Most Cited Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis in Oral Pathology

The bibliometric study aimed to analyze the 100 most cited systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) in the field of oral pathology. This is the first research on SRs and MAs conducted on citation analysis pertaining to oral pathology. On December 24, 2024, a search was made in the Web of Science database for 3,000 articles. Out of that pool, the 100 most cited oral pathology-associated articles were selected after confirming their indexing status in the PubMed database. Standard information on the periodic growth, authors, affiliated organizations, publication year, citation metrics, and research topic domains was recorded. Statistical analysis was conducted via the Pearson Chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The VOSviewer program was employed to conduct a network analysis for co-occurring key terms. The results depicted the 100 most cited articles from subjects of oral pathology/oral medicine and associated head and neck pathology published between 1990 and 2022. The journal with the highest number of articles was Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, and Oral Radiology, followed by Oral Oncology. Head/neck cancer and oral cancer were the most predominant research domains. The VOSviewer software revealed five interconnected clusters with 17 common keywords. Significant relationships were observed between citation impact and collaboration patterns among country publications and institutions (P < 0.001). Articles published under the head and neck pathology specialty, SR and MA article types, and non-dental journals had a higher citation impact and were statistically significant (P < 0.001). There has been a rise in the quantity of publications that are conducted in the field of oral pathology with respect to SRs and MAs. By referring to the most cited articles, this review could facilitate data-driven decision-making, improve research visibility, and influence the strategic direction for researchers and practitioners in oral and head/neck specialties.