Analysis of Global Search and Research Interests on Dentists Using Infoveillance and Bibliometric Approaches

Abstract

About half of the world’s population requires the services of a dentist. However, the in-depth understanding of the concerns and priorities of the global public and scientific communities concerning dentists is essential for the planning and development of sustainable strategies, interventions, and policies that will cater for the current global oral health needs. Therefore, this study investigated the global search and research interests on dentists using a hybrid research design—a combination of infoveillance and bibliometric research designs. The data analysed in this study were obtained from Google Trends and SCOPUS. The findings show that, over the years, there has been a significant growth in the volume of information search and research outputs on dentists with huge inequalities existing between the Global South and North. It is also notable that the COVID-19 pandemic played a significantly influential role in the global information search and dissemination trends on dentists. The knowledge and funding for dentist-related research flow significantly from the countries of the Global North. The review of the network visualisation of keyword co-occurrence revealed a misplaced priority in the global research interest areas on dentists and oral health. The obtained findings could help to shape the future of dental healthcare and policy.