Mapping the Research Landscape on Oral Hygiene Practices among School Students in Nepal: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Background: Good oral hygiene is an essential element of good health, but oral diseases continue to pose a major health problem for children in schools in Nepal. Although the subject has gained more research interest, a holistic perspective of the current knowledge base related to this issue is lacking. This study seeks to analyze the scholarly landscape of studies on oral hygiene among school children in Nepal using a bibliometric approach.

Methods: A literature review was carried out on 24 July 2026 using Dimension.ai using the Boolean string: ("oral hygiene" OR "oral health") AND (practice* OR habit* OR behavior* OR KAP) AND ("school student*" OR "schoolchild*" OR adolescent*) AND Nepal. There were 33 papers identified and analyzed using VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel.

Findings: It was found that there has been an increasing number of publications from 2020, with the highest number of publications occurring in 2024. The highest number of documents (n=21, 63.6%) and citations (n=356) were made by Nepal, with the United States (n=4) contributing second. Tribhuvan University topped the list of the highest number of institutional publications. Analysis of co-authorship showed that there has been strong collaboration within the country and some good international collaborations with the US, Finland, and the UK. Publications fell under Dentistry and Public Health, with a small contribution from Social Science and Psychology.

Conclusion: Despite the fact that the literature regarding oral hygiene behavior of Nepalese school children is increasingly growing, the topic is still regionally restricted and not interdisciplinary.