SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Oral Health
Sec. Oral Health Promotion
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1675102
National-, Institutional-, and Individual-Level Determinants of Dental Research Excellence: An Analysis of Stanford–Elsevier Lists of the Top 2% Scholars Worldwide (2017–2023)
Provisionally accepted
- 1Masaryk Centre for Global Health (MCGH), Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- 2Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
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Background: Research excellence, distinct from productivity, is a key criterion in science policy and institutional evaluation. This study examined global distribution and determinants of dental research excellence using the Stanford–Elsevier Lists (SEL) of the top 2% most-cited scientists. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using SEL datasets from 2017–2023. The analysis followed an ecological model consisting of three layers of independent variables: national-level indicators (macroeconomic metrics, oral disease burden, and development indices), institutional rankings, and individual-level variables (gender and academic age) were analysed. Descriptive statistics, multivariable regressions, and mixed-effects models were applied. Results: The analysis demonstrated a markedly uneven global distribution of excellent dental scholars (EDS), with 96.1% and 88.9% of career-long and single-year EDS, respectively, based in high-income countries. English-speaking countries dominated, reflecting historical and linguistic biases. Institutional elitism was apparent, with 20 universities accounting for nearly one-fifth of all EDS worldwide. Gender disparities persisted, with women comprising only 14.8% (career-long) and 18.1% (single-year). Academic age consistently predicted scholarly metrics more strongly than gender. EDS numbers correlated positively with macroeconomic indicators, particularly R&D investment, while oral disease burden was negatively correlated. Conclusions: Dental research excellence is disproportionately concentrated in high-income, English-speaking countries and elite institutions. Historic gender disparities remain, though narrowing trends are noticeable. The observed misalignment between oral disease burden and research excellence highlights the need for inclusive, needs-based research investment.
Keywords: Academia, career ladder, dental education, Dental Research, Gender equity, Globalburden of disease, Health Policy, Macroeconomic factors
Received: 01 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Riad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abanoub Riad, abanoub.riad@med.muni.cz
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