The research landscape of extracellular vesicles in periodontitis: a bibliometric analysis from 2015 to 2025

Aim: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can result in tooth loss in severe cases. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play multifaceted roles in periodontitis. This study aimed to characterize the research landscape of EVs in periodontitis using a bibliometric approach and to systematically elucidate their functions in this field. Methods: A comprehensive collection of articles and reviews pertaining to the role of EVs in periodontitis was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed, spanning 2015 to 2025. Following deduplication and manual screening, bibliometric and visual analyses of publication trends, countries, institutions, journals, keywords, publications, and cited references were conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix. Results: A total of 340 eligible publications from 154 journals and involving 31 countries and 427 institutions were included. From 2015 to 2025, the annual publication volume exhibited a marked upward trend, with a logistic growth model predicting a peak in 2027. Co-occurrence networks and citation analyses identified three major research themes: regenerative therapy, pathogenesis, and biomarkers. Furthermore, keyword trend analysis revealed that “immunomodulation” and “drug delivery” are current research hotspots and likely future directions in the field. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive knowledge map of EVs research in periodontitis. The findings indicate that the field is evolving from fundamental mechanistic exploration toward the development of engineered EVs as drug-delivery platforms. By clarifying the diverse roles of EVs in periodontitis, this work offers a conceptual foundation for the development of novel EV-based therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.