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Internet information on xerostomia: what should patients expect?
Author(s) -
Delli K,
Livas C,
Spijkervet FK,
Vissink A
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
oral diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.953
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1601-0825
pISSN - 1354-523X
DOI - 10.1111/odi.12213
Subject(s) - readability , usability , lida , the internet , quality (philosophy) , reliability (semiconductor) , medicine , password , information quality , reading (process) , health information , computer science , medical education , health care , world wide web , information system , engineering , cognition , human–computer interaction , philosophy , psychiatry , law , computer network , cognitive model , power (physics) , epistemology , quantum mechanics , political science , programming language , physics , electrical engineering , economic growth , economics
Objective To assess the qualitative standards of the information distributed via the I nternet regarding xerostomia. Materials and Methods A comprehensive electronic search was performed for ‘xerostomia’ and ‘dry mouth’ separately using four search engines. The first 30 results from each search term–engine combination were pooled for analysis. After excluding promotional product sites, discussion groups, video feeds, scientific articles, non‐operative sources, sites with denied direct access through password requirement, non‐ E nglish language domains, and online medical dictionaries, 50 W eb pages were evaluated in terms of readability, accessibility, usability, and reliability using recommended research methodology the F lesch R eading E ase S core and the LIDA instrument. Author and information details were also recorded. Results The results revealed a variable quality of the available I nternet information on xerostomia. The W eb sites required advanced reading skills, while LIDA scores for accessibility, usability, and reliability ranged from medium to low with average scores extending from 29.1% to 81.3%. Conclusions The quality of information about xerostomia among W eb sources presents high variability. The existing discrepancy should be alleviated by referring patients to evidence‐based education materials on the I nternet. Improvement in xerostomia information e‐resources will contribute to a more advanced quality in oral health care.