The Role of Women in Periodontal Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Authorship Over the Last Decade

A well-recognized gender gap persists across most scientific fields and career stages. This study aims to analyze gender disparities in authorship patterns in the top four ranked periodontology journals from 2014 to 2024, providing insights into equity and representation in academic periodontology. A bibliometric analysis was conducted following the BIBLIO guidelines. Data were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC: in all editions) from: Periodontology 2000, Journal of Clinical Periodontology, Journal of Periodontology , and Journal of Periodontal Research , which are ranked highest in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). Gender identification focused on woman as first and last authors. Data were analyzed using Python 3.8.2, VOSviewer 1.6.18, R-Bibliometrix, and CitySpace 6.3.R. The dataset included 5,109 articles. After gender identification data were categorized into three datasets: Total Dataset, First Author Woman Dataset, and Last Author Woman Dataset. Temporal trends reveal a steady increase in publications by women, with average annual growth rates of 3.55% for first authors and 10.29% for last authors. The most prolific and cited authors from the Total Dataset remain predominantly male. The USA, Brazil, and China led in productivity and citations with women as authors. University of London and University of São Paulo emerged as prominent institutions in both datasets. Despite notable advances and increased representation of women in periodontology, a significant gender gap remains. Addressing this gap is essential to ensure equality and enhance the quality and diversity of scientific research.