Trends in sleep dentistry research in Asia: A bibliometric analysis.

Abstract

Background: Sleep-related conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea and bruxism significantly affect both oral and systemic health, posing substantial public health challenges. Growing scholarly interest in sleep dentistry reflects an emerging effort to address these conditions through multidisciplinary research. This study employs bibliometric analysis to examine emerging themes, collaborative patterns, influential authors, and research trajectories related to sleep dentistry in Asia.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using the Scopus database to identify relevant publications from inception through April 2025. Bibliometric techniques were applied to analyze co-authorship networks, annual publication trends, institutional and international collaborations, keyword co-occurrence, and citation metrics. VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix package in R were utilized for data visualization and network mapping.

Results: The analysis included 1,237 publications. China was the leading contributor, followed by the United States and India. The United Kingdom exhibited the highest ratio of Multiple Country Publications, followed by Australia and Canada. Tehran University of Medical Sciences emerged as the most productive institution, followed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Co-authorship analysis revealed six distinct collaborative clusters, with a total of 5,828 scholars contributing to the field.

Conclusion: A substantial and growing body of research on sleep dentistry has emerged in Asia. The bibliometric findings highlight influential contributors, international cooperation, and key research themes particularly obstructive sleep apnea and bruxism underscoring the value of bibliometric methods in shaping responses to this pressing regional public health concern.