World Workshop on Oral Medicine VIII - Barriers to Research in Oral Medicine: Lessons Learned from a Bibliometric Analysis of the Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders Literature

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the impact of oral medicine (OM) practitioners on the literature regarding oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), focusing on oral leukoplakia. STUDY DESIGN Using a bibliometric approach on the Scopus database until September 1, 2022, the top 100 cited articles were analyzed for article type, subtopic, specialty contributions, author metrics, and keywords. The Bibliometrix® package for R and VOSviewer® were used to evaluate interactions and generate science maps. RESULTS OM practitioners, comprising 39% of contributors, played a significant role in studies related to nomenclature and screening of OPMDs. Notably, four OM specialists ranked among the most prolific authors, demonstrating denser collaboration with OM co-authors compared to other cancer specialists. However, there was a scarcity of OPMD management studies authored by OM practitioners. CONCLUSION Despite the paucity of OM practitioners, the findings underscored the substantial contribution of OM practitioners in developing OPMD nomenclature and classification, emphasizing the need for increased collaboration with cancer specialists to conduct comprehensive clinical trials for OPMD management. The study highlights the importance of standardized criteria in OPMDs research for better data comparison and encourages further efforts from the OM scientific community. Statement of clinical relevance Oral potencially malignant lesions are a cornerstone of oral medicine practice. Practicioners have made significant contributions to research, shaping nomenclature, classification, and understanding natural history. Collaborating with other specialties is vital to address the current scarcity of intervention studies.