Global research on oral cancer: A bibliometric analysis based on 82 highly cited publications from 2014 to 2024

Objective: Oral cancer refers to a group of malignancies. The disease's complexity requires a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing oncology, dentistry, epidemiology, molecular biology, and other fields. Given this multifaceted nature, bibliometrics has emerged as a crucial tool to navigate the vast array of academic literature surrounding oral cancer.

Method: 82 highly cited publications on oral cancer were collected based on the Web of Science Core Collection. For bibliometric visualization and analysis, VOSviewer and R software (4.3.0 version) were used to explore publication trends, collaboration networks, core journals, research hotspots and authors in the field of oral cancer.

Results: This study analyzed 82 publications published over the past 11 years, including 46 published in the United States, 17 in China, 17 in UK, 12 in Canada and 10 in India. Quynh-Thu Le had the most publications (4 publications). Burtness B was the most cited author with 1,926 citations. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was the most active institution by contributing 7 publications. The most productive journal was journal of clinical oncology. Cluster Analysis of Co-occurrence Keywords revealed that top 10 highest number of core words were squamous-cell carcinoma, cancer, human-papillomavirus, survival, united-states, oropharyngeal cancer, risk, epidemiology, head and risk-factors.

Conclusion: Over the past 11 years, studies of oral cancer are increasingly. This bibliometric study may aid researchers in the understanding of the knowledge base and research frontiers associated with oral cancer. Emerging hotspots for research can be used as the subjects of future studies.