Status of Research on Dental Caries during Pregnancy: A Biometric Exploration

Aim: To describe the bibliometric characteristics of the state of scientific production on dental caries during pregnancy. Materials and methods: A bibliometric study with a sample of 408 publications indexed in the Scopus database, which were selected based on a search strategy that included logical operators and the term MESH. The Scival tool was used to analyze the metadata. Results: Jamieson Lisa Marie is positioned as the author with the most publications, and Schroth Robert as the one with the best-weighted impact (FWCI: 37.7). High-impact journals such as BMC Oral Health, Journal of Dental Research, and BMC Public Health stand out for their productivity and an average number of citations. The United States has a large number of publications and evidence of networks of scientific activity with Australia, Canada, and Brazil. The University of Adelaide leads the production and the work of two Latin American institutions (Universidade de São Paulo and Universidade Federal do Maranhão) stands out. International collaboration has improved during the study period. Conclusion: Scientific production on dental caries during pregnancy is increasingly published in high-impact journals, with growing international collaboration. The United States leads in publications, while Australian institutions are the most productive in this field. Clinical significance: Caries during pregnancy is a problem that has an important impact on maternal and perinatal health; thus, its timely management and prevention are important areas of research in the field of oral health.