Mapping the Intersection of One Health and Oral Health: A Citation Analysis of Human, Animal, and Environmental Interconnections

OBJECTIVES: The concept of 'One Health' emphasizes the intrinsic connection of 'Human Health' with 'Animal Health' and 'Environmental Health'. The research landscape of the intersection of one health in the oral health context is largely unknown, and so a citation analysis was conducted. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A citation analysis was performed following a scoping review within the context of one health and oral health to determine the interaction between oral health with animal health and environment health. The impact and scholarly interconnectedness of research articles within the field, the development of the concept of one health, citations by country, journal type and authors were mapped to provide insights into the scholarly impact of individual works, collaboration patterns among researchers, and the evolution of one health topics over time. RESULTS: The analysis identified 114 publications covering three main aspects of the one health concept - human health, animal health & environment health from the Scopus database. There is a growing interest in the intersection of oral health and its mutual effect on animal and environment health with most publications occurring after 2011 (95 out of 114), especially concerning zoonotic infections. Country-level variations were analysed, and a strong citation interconnectedness was observed. Three dimensions, including oral health, animal health and environmental health, were presented using total-link-strength. Publications per author were not high but there was still evidence of interconnectedness in the field. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from a citation analysis highlight the emergence of one health in the oral health context globally. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings underscore the importance of interdisciplinary and international cooperation in advancing research on one health in the context of oral health with potential opportunities for future research, policy and practice.