QUALITY OF INTERNET INFORMATION ON PIT AND FISSURE SEALANT FOR LAY PEOPLE

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the merit and trustworthiness of websites on the understanding information on Pit & Fissure Sealants to the lay persons. Methods: An Internet search engine (www.google.com) was used to pick out websites comprising medical information on ‘Pit & Fissure Sealants.’ Of over 69,000 links for Pit & Fissure Sealants, the first 100 were catechized in detail. After evicting discussion groups, news and video feeds, and removing carbon copy sites, only 18 pertinent websites remained, which were then assessed using the DISCERN instrument. Using the 16 questions for assessing the reliability and quality of the consumer information which were scored from 1 to 5, an appropriate index of the quality of the information was generated. Results: The highest score attainable for any outstanding website was 80. Of the 18 websites that were scored, DISCERN suggested the majority of websites were inferior to the maximum score. The highest score obtained by one of the websites according to the DISCERN tool was 58 of 80, and the lowest score achieved was 19 of 80. The websites achieving the maximum and minimum score were Wikipedia and qualitydentistry.com, respectively. Conclusions: By guiding patients to validated websites, clinicians can ensure patients find suitable information; however, further improvement of websites relating to pit and fissure sealants is required. Internet database should be updated regularly to account for advances in preventive dental care.