Is Online Oriented-Centred Information About Dry Mouth Trustworthy? An Infodemiologic Study.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Xerostomia is a common condition with significant effects on oral health and quality of life. Patients frequently seek health information online; however, the quality and reliability of such information remain questionable. This study aimed to evaluate the quality, reliability, and readability of patient-oriented information about xerostomia available on different websites.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted using Google, Bing, and Yahoo with the terms 'dry mouth' and 'xerostomia'. Eligible websites were evaluated for source type and assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association benchmarks, Health on the Net criteria, and the DISCERN instrument. Readability was measured using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook and Flesch Reading Ease Score.

RESULTS

A total of 203 websites were analysed. Nonprofit organizations were the most frequent source (45.8%), followed by dental/medical centres (36.9%), commercial sites (12.3%), and governmental/university sources (4.9%). The median DISCERN score indicated medium quality (3.5). Readability was high across all sites (median Flesch Reading Ease Score: 94.75; Simple Measure of Gobbledygook: 3.2), with no significant differences except in word and sentence counts. Nonprofit websites scored the highest for reliability and quality according to DISCERN and Journal of the American Medical Association criteria.

CONCLUSION

Online information about xerostomia is generally highly readable but varies in quality and reliability. Nonprofit websites provided the most trustworthy and comprehensive resources, while governmental and university-affiliated websites were underrepresented.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Given the variety in the quality and readability of online material about xerostomia, enhancing the reliability of web-based health resources necessitates a collaborative effort by healthcare providers. Encouraging website developers and organizations to use standardized evaluation tools to assure the accuracy and accessibility of online content can improve patient education and help informed decision-making and enhance digital health literacy.