Evolution of scaffold materials for periodontal therapeutics over two decades (2005–2025): A bibliometric mapping analysis

Abstract This study employed bibliometric methods to summarize the global distribution patterns, knowledge systems, and dynamic changes in hotspots of research on periodontal treatment scaffold materials over a 20-year period (2005–2025). Relevant literature related to periodontal diseases and scaffold materials was from the Web of Science Core Collection. A total of 528 eligible English-language articles were identified and analyzed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software for visualizing and interpreting annual publication volume, international and institutional collaborations, authors, co-cited journals, and keywords. The results indicated that the number and influence of publications significantly increased from 2015, with over 60% of total publications occurring between 2020 and 2024. China and the U.S. were the top publishing countries, and international collaborative research, especially between Europe and the U.S. and between Europe, the U.S., and China, emerged as a crucial means to drive future innovation. High-frequency keywords revealed evolving themes in this field: initially focusing on basic research such as in vitro studies and stem cell differentiation, then moving towards clinical applications like bone regeneration and delivery systems, and in the last five years (post-2020), mainly centered around functional biomaterials, including hydrogels, chitosan, nanocomposites, and three-dimensional (3D)-printed scaffold materials, combined with antibacterial, immunomodulatory, and regenerative properties. The research in periodontal scaffold materials has shifted from basic in vitro experiments to clinical translational regenerative strategies. Future research will focus on developing multifunctional, personalized smart scaffold materials through continuous international and interdisciplinary collaboration and integrating them into comprehensive regenerative therapies, aiming to improve the clinical results of periodontal therapy.