Online quality and readability assessment of Early childhood caries information available on websites from distinct countries: A cross-sectional study

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ABSTRACT

Aim

To assess the quality and readability of ECC-related Web information available in English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese language.

Methods

This study assessed the quality and readability of information related to ECC in three different languages found on the most popular Internet search engines worldwide. Websites were retrieved from different search engines using specific strategies. DISCERN questionnaire, JAMA benchmark criteria, and language-based readability formulas were used by two independent investigators to evaluate the quality and readability of websites. Also, contents were categorised according to aetiology, prevention, and treatment of ECC. The statistical analysis was performed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, hierarchical clustering analysis by Ward’s minimum variance method, and Mann-Whitney U test. P values < 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

Digital contents of 177 websites were considered of easy readability and low quality, without differences between websites produced by health- or non-health-related authors. Also, websites with ≥ 3 categories of information, or those that recommended dental visits or fluoride toothpastes presented higher DISCERN scores than their counterparts.

Conclusion

ECC-related digital contents were considered simple, accessible and of poor quality, independently of their language and authorship. These findings indicate the importance of professional counseling to empower parents in selecting and consuming adequate information towards the improvement of children’s oral health.

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