Research status and hotspots of oral frailty in older adults: a bibliometric analysis from 2013 to 2024.

Background: Oral frailty has emerged as a critical focus in public health due to its strong association with adverse health outcomes in older adults, such as cognitive decline, malnutrition, falls, disability, and mortality. Despite a growing body of research over the past decade, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of this field remains lacking. This study addresses this gap by providing an overview of the research landscape, highlighting key achievements, identifying emerging trends, and proposing directions for future exploration.

Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on literature related to oral frailty in older adults published between 2013 and 2024, utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection (SCIE and SSCI). The analysis employed CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the "bibliometrix" R package to visualize and evaluate contributions from countries/regions, organizations, authors, journals and articles. Additionally, references and keyword analyses were performed to identify research patterns and thematic trends.

Results: The bibliometric analysis of 847 articles published from 2013 to 2024 revealed that Japanese scholars contributed the most publications in the field (n = 204), representing 24.09% of the total. The cooperation network map revealed the highest intensity of collaboration among researchers from the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan. Watanabe Y and Hirano H, both from Japan, were identified as the most prolific and frequently co-cited authors. The research focuses on the multifactorial mechanisms of oral frailty, comprehensive intervention measures and quality of life. Key research hotspots in the field included tongue pressure, tooth loss, social support, quality of life, health promotion, dental care, and root caries. Emerging research directions may include inflammation, swallowing function and oral function.

Conclusion: Research on oral frailty in older adults has advanced significantly over the past decade, with Japan making particularly notable contributions to the field. The multifactorial mechanisms of oral frailty, multidimensional evaluation methods, and comprehensive intervention strategies are expected to remain central research focuses. Our findings aim to provide researchers with a clearer understanding of trends within this field.

Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024570590, PROSPERO CRD42024570590.