Quality and Readability Assessment of Web-based Arabic Health Information on Early Childhood Caries.

Background: Patients are increasingly using the internet for searching health-related information. However, the quality and readability of the information available on the internet need to be assessed. To date, no study has assessed the quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on early childhood caries. Objectives: To evaluate the quality and readability of patient-oriented online Arabic health information regarding early childhood caries. Materials and Methods: For this infodemiological study, the Google and Yahoo search engines were searched using specific Arabic terms for early childhood caries, and the top 100 searches from both search engines were considered. Eligible websites were categorized in terms of affiliation as commercial, health portal, dental practice, professional, and journalism. The quality of the websites was assessed using the QUality Evaluation Scoring Tool (QUEST), and readability using the Gunning Fog index (GFI). Results: A total of 140 websites were included after applying the exclusion criteria, of which 50.7% websites were of journalism. The majority of the websites (70%) had an overall low-quality level, with a QUEST score <10. The quality of websites retrieved from Google searches was of significantly higher quality than those from Yahoo (P < 0.0001). More than half (51.4%) of the websites had good readability, with a GFI score ≤8. Journalism websites had a significantly higher proportion of websites with poor readability level (62%) compared with other affiliations (P = 0.0072). Conclusion: The web-based Arabic information regarding early childhood caries is currently of low quality and moderate readability level, thereby indicating a need for improving such patient-facing content.

Evaluation of the anterior and overall tooth ratios in the Saudi population versus Bolton's standards.

Understanding tooth-size discrepancy is essential in the process of diagnosis of maxillary and mandibular relationship. Due to the high incidence of tooth-size disproportion, Practitioners should consider the high incidence of tooth-size disproportion when planning treatment for their patients, as in many cases, this can be a hindrance to obtaining an ideal result. This study aimed to determine the anterior and overall tooth ratios in the Saudi population and compare them with Bolton's standards. A total of 356 patients were recruited. For the anterior ratio, around 25% of the patients had a ratio equal to Bolton's standards (77.2%). Most subjects (53.7%) had a ratio above 77.2%, and the remaining (20%) had a ratio below 77.2%. The mean amount of anterior mandibular excess was 2.17 ± 2.12 mm, and the mean amount of anterior maxillary excess was 2.16 ± 2.08 mm. For the overall ratio, less than half of the participants (43%) had a ratio equal to Bolton's standards (91.3%). Almost 34% had a ratio above 91.3%, while 23% of the participants had a ratio below 91.3%. The mean amount of overall mandibular excess was 2.54 ± 2.37 mm, and the mean amount of overall maxillary excess was 3.31 ± 3.33 mm. The majority of the study sample had an overall and anterior Bolton ratio that is different from the norms of Bolton's standards, with a tendency for increased overall and anterior ratios. Having specific standards for the Saudi population is important for better clinical assessment and treatment outcomes.

Quality and Readability Assessment of Internet-Based Information on Common Prosthodontic Treatments.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the readability and quality of patient-oriented information online among different common prosthodontic search areas using multiple quality and readability assessment tools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prosthodontic keywords most commonly searched by patients on the internet were included. The search was performed through two online search engines (Google and Yahoo) to create the study sample. The first 50 websites listed by each search engine were chosen for each keyword. The quality of each website's information was evaluated using the DISCERN questionnaire and the Health on the Net (HON) criteria. Readability assessment was performed using the Flesch-Kinkaid Reading Grade Level (FKRGL) and the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES). RESULTS: A total of 225 websites were included in the study. The median score for the DISCERN instrument indicated poor information quality. A significant difference was found between the educational and commercial websites in both quality and readability. Overall, the median readability indices showed that the websites' information was difficult to read. CONCLUSION: Internet-based health information on different prosthodontic treatments is difficult to read and poor in quality and readability. It is necessary for health care providers to establish and promote websites that have reliable, high-quality information about common prosthodontic treatments.

Early childhood caries and infant's oral health; pediatricians' and family physicians' practice, knowledge and attitude in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a significant worldwide oral health problem. However, parents do not take their children to the dentist for regular screening of oral diseases as early as they do with pediatricians and family physicians. As a result, pediatricians and family physicians are considered as a reliable and perfect source for children's oral health promotion and disease prevention. Studies assessing pediatricians' and family physicians' practice, knowledge and attitude regarding ECC and infant's oral health in Saudi Arabia are few. As a result, this study aimed to assess these aspects. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study based on a structured close-ended questionnaire was conveniently distributed among pediatricians and family physicians in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire composed of two main sections; demographic characteristics and questions assessing participants' practice, knowledge and attitude. The data was analyzed using SAS software, frequency and chi-square test were conducted, and P-value of <0.05 and less was considered significant. RESULTS: There was a discrepancy between the participants' knowledge, attitude and practice. The participants' practice was lower (42.6%) compared with their attitude (86.1%) and knowledge (65.3%). Most of the participants (52.5%) indicated lack of clinical time was the main barrier for performing oral health related activities. Majority of the participants (76.7%) indicated that they need more dental training and education. Dental caries preventive methods (44.6%) was the most requested topic, of which workshops and seminars were the main preferred method (39.6%). CONCLUSION: Although most of the participants reported good dental attitude and knowledge, a lack of the associated dental practice was detected. Therefore, more efforts are encouraged to enhance and facilitate dental practice among pediatricians and family physicians.

Gender-specific oral health beliefs and behaviors among adult patients attending King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.

AIM: To explore variations in males' and females' oral health beliefs and behaviors and to assess the influence of oral health beliefs on their related behaviors within each gender. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed to obtain information from patients attending outpatient clinics of King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Of the 553 self-reported questionnaires, 519 were filled comprising 251 males and 268 females. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: six demographic questions and 25 questions assessing oral health beliefs and behaviors. The statistical analysis was done using frequency distribution and chi square tests. RESULTS: Comparing males with females, there was no significant gender difference in beliefs. However, when it comes to behaviors, females were found to act more positively than males in many assessed oral health aspects of the study. When comparing beliefs versus behaviors towards the importance of oral health styles, a gap of 12-45% was noted between those "who believe of oral health behaviors" and those "who actually practiced them". CONCLUSIONS: The study presented valuable information about the differences between beliefs and behaviors of Saudi population. It also indicated that females in general, acted more positively toward oral health than males. Health care providers might need to focus more on the improvement of oral health behaviors and practices especially among males. The real reasons for lack of behaviors need further investigation. Furthermore, oral health campaigns should switch focus from people's education to oral health practices and actions.

Patterns of Self-Medication Behavior for Oral Health Problems Among Adults Living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Self-medication is a widespread behavior worldwide. It is defined as the practice of self-diagnosis and drug prescription without proper professional consultation. Aim: To determine the prevalence and predictors of self-medication for oral health problems among adults living in Riyadh city. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a structured close-ended questionnaire was distributed among adults visiting shopping malls in all different five regions of Riyadh. A two-stage sampling technique was used: cluster and simple random sampling. The questionnaire was composed of two main sections: demographic characteristics and questions assessing the behavior of self-medication. Results: The prevalence of self-medication was found to be 63.25%, with a higher prevalence among females than males. Gender and nationality were significantly associated with self-medication. Salt in hot water locally (52.57%) and acetaminophen (47.43%), a type of an analgesic, were, systemically, the most frequently used. Pharmacy shops were the main source of these medicaments (66.01%). Similarly, the advice for using them was mainly given by pharmacists (53.36%). Lack of time was claimed to be the main reason for practicing self-medication (54.55%) with abscess, toothache, and gingival bleeding being the main predictors. Conclusions: Self-medication was found to be a common practice among the population of Riyadh city.