A scientometric analysis of research related to the 'oral-placental axis' hypothesis: current status, hotspots, and future directions.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Scientometric and bioinformatic synthesis of existing literature with no primary clinical data
PubMed 42453986 · doi:10.3389/fcimb.2026.1864022
What was done
The authors conducted a scientometric and bioinformatic analysis of literature on the "oral-placental axis" published between 2016 and 2025. They searched Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed, identifying 196 eligible publications. Bibliometric visualization was performed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R-bibliometrix, combined with bioinformatic analyses to map shared genes, signaling pathways, and microbial links between oral and placental diseases.
What was found
The field showed an annual publication growth rate of 5.03%. The United States, China, and Australia were the primary contributing countries, with the University of Queensland as the leading institution. Core keywords included preterm birth, periodontal diseases, gestational diabetes mellitus, and oral microbiome. Mechanistic analyses identified shared hub genes (KRT19, ADAMDEC1, AQP9, SPAG4, PLAT) and key pathways including primary immunodeficiency and complement/coagulation cascades, with Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis highlighted as primary mediating pathogens.
Why it matters
This review maps the structural and mechanistic evolution of oral-placental axis research over a decade, providing a consolidated framework for future translational studies and perinatal oral healthcare strategies.
Limits
The study is a bibliometric and in silico bioinformatic synthesis rather than primary clinical or laboratory research. Analysis was limited to 196 publications indexed in three databases across a specific 10-year window (2016–2025), which may exclude relevant non-indexed studies or earlier foundational evidence. Identified hub genes and pathway interactions represent bioinformatic associations without experimental validation in the paper.
Cited by
- supports Gum disease and oral inflammation cross the placental barrier and cause complications such as preterm birth and low birth weight.