Mapping the research landscape on diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease: a scientometric study

To map the scientific landscape linking diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease using bibliometric methods, identify major thematic clusters, and examine how research supports clinical and educational perspectives relevant to integrated diabetes-oral health research. The central research question was: What are the dominant knowledge structures and interdisciplinary connections in the literature on diabetes mellitus and oral health? A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (1995-2024). The search strategy combined diabetes related and oral health-related terms. After applying the eligibility criteria, 1,058 publications were included. Keyword preprocessing involved synonym unification, abbreviation harmonization, and manual validation. VOSviewer v1.6.18 was used for keyword co occurrence mapping. Potential sources of bias related to database selection and keyword variability were acknowledged. Eight thematic clusters were identified, covering periodontal disease, prevention, epidemiology, systemic comorbidities, microbiome research, quality of life, clinical interventions, and biomarkers. Cluster structure remained stable across sensitivity thresholds. The literature on diabetes and oral health exhibits recurring thematic patterns and interconnected research domains. While bibliometric clustering reflects co occurrence structures rather than conceptual maturity, the findings provide an analytical overview of how research areas relate to one another. The findings indicate recurring thematic patterns and interconnected research domains. The identified clusters outline priority domains relevant to risk assessment, prevention, and interdisciplinary care. Although bibliometric findings do not directly inform clinical decision making, they highlight areas where integrated diabetes-oral health strategies may be strengthened.