Historical reports indicate that teledentistry dates to the 19th century. Early concepts of using telephones to reduce the necessity of in-person patient visits emerged during the American Civil War [1]. This historical context complies with our contemporary understanding of the fundamental purpose of teledentistry: using technological advances to enhance healthcare accessibility. With the rapid evolution of information technology, telemedicine has become widely used over the past decade.

Although the concept of teledentistry was introduced in the 1990s, it has gradually become a hotspot for research and clinical practice owing to the widespread use of electronic devices. The COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant restrictions on in-person dental visits further accelerated teledentistry, causing a surge in demand for remote dental services [2]. Despite these advancements, teledentistry faces some challenges, such as uneven accessibility to dental care—particularly in rural or underserved areas—and the limitations of traditional diagnostic techniques. Consequently, more effective, scalable, and accessible dental-care solutions are required, in addition to conventional in-person consultations.

Mobile devices have transformed telemedicine owing to their portability, affordability, connectivity, and hardware advancements. These features enable seamless image capture, video consultations, and efficient data transmission. People in developing regions own significantly more mobile than fixed devices [3], indicating that mobile devices play an indispensable role and have immense potential for use in teledentistry.

In this study, we performed bibliometric analyses using visualisation software, including CiteSpace and VOSviewer, to systematically analyse mobile device applications in teledentistry. Teledentistry research primarily focuses on a specific aspect, such as exploring the acceptance of teledentistry among specific groups, or evaluating its usage within particular dental subdisciplines; however, the bibliometric method offers a holistic perspective on teledentistry as an integrated concept [4,5]. Moreover, compared with traditional research methods, bibliometric visualisation is crucial in scientific research evaluation for providing objective, accurate, and valuable insights into future research directions.

In contrast to bibliometric studies on teledentistry thus far—which primarily focus on its distribution across various dental specialties, or specific time periods and populations—our study is the first to focus on mobile devices. Given their direct social relevance, mobile devices are a predominant medium for digital healthcare [[6], [7], [8]]. Herein, we aim to: (1) provide a comprehensive understanding of the historical evolution and development of mobile applications in the realm of teledentistry, also called “mobile teledentistry”; (2) identify and analyse key authors, prominent institutions, and their respective countries to elucidate the structure of global research collaborations; (3) synthesise novel core research topics and hotspots, as well as ascertain future research directions; and (4) explore actionable strategies and measures for both research and practical implementation to foster a broader adoption and advancement of mobile teledentistry.

To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to quantify the research outputs of mobile teledentistry, reveal the corresponding relationships in collaborative networks, and provide data-driven guidance for future investigations and mobile health (mHealth) implementation.