Quality of information about oral cancer in Brazilian Portuguese available on Google, Youtube, and Instagram

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the quality of oral cancer information in Brazilian Portuguese on Google, YouTube, and Instagram. Material and Methods: The first 100 links of each platform characterized the initial sample. The websites and Instagram were evaluated using the JAMA benchmarks, the Discern instrument, and the Flesch readability index (Flesch Reading Ease). The existence of Health on the Net (HON) code was also registered on websites. The usefulness of each video on YouTube was classified as not useful, slightly useful, moderately useful, or very useful. Results: Thirty-four websites, 39 Instagram posts, and 57 videos were evaluated, of which 18 (33.3%) websites and 19 (48.7%) Instagram posts covered only 2 of the 4 JAMA benchmarks. For the Discern instrument, 20 (37%) and 18 (33.3%) websites exhibited low and moderate reliability, respectively, while 26 (66.7%) Instagram posts were of low confidence. The level of intelligibility of both websites and Instagram was difficult. Only three websites exhibited the HONcode. Forty-one (71.9%) videos on YouTube were moderately useful. Conclusions: Information on oral cancer on the Internet in Brazilian Portuguese is of low quality. Thus, educational and governmental institutions have a responsibility to produce and indicate reliable sources of information for the population.

YouTube™ and oral lichen planus: an appraisal of the educational quality of information

“…Our study identified most videos as moderately useful, because they mentioned the clinical characteristics of the disease and provided information about treatment and prognosis. Despite methodological differences, this was also found in a study by Passos et al, 19 in which most of the Table 3. Analyses of usefulness and quality assessment score in relation to length in minutes, views, viewer's interaction, and reliability score.…”

“…Previous studies have analyzed YouTube TM as a source of information on different pathological processes that can affect oral health. [11][12][13][18][19][20] Our study is the first to examine the content of YouTube TM videos on OLP and to evaluate the quality of the information provided.…”

“…Analyses of usefulness and quality assessment score in relation to length in minutes, views, viewer's interaction, and reliability score. In our study, we adapted tools used in previous articles 11,12,13,15,19 to analyze the reliability, usefulness, and quality of the videos on the OLP. A lt houg h t he e t iolog y a nd pat hoge n ic mechanisms underlying the development of OLP are not fully understood, some etiological factors such as genetic predisposition, bacterial and viral infection, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, and allergies have been proposed.…”

Continuing education in oral cancer during coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) outbreak

“…In this time of confinement due to COVID-19, it seems to us that it may be a good opportunity to draw the attention of dentists outside their offices, to the main clinical features of oral SCC, its current epidemiological trends, stressing the association between early diagnosis and good prognosis. However, recently we have evidenced that the information on oral SCC available on the internet is of low quality, both on websites, YouTube and Instagram [3,4]. Thus, members of international and national Professional Associations (Oral Pathology and Medicine, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology), and Dental and Medical Schools around the world, could mobilize themselves to produce quality online content on Websites, Instagram, YouTube, and other apps that allow the transmission of videos and lives.…”

“…Individual specialists are also encouraged for such action. It is noteworthy that quality online content must have several criteria that ensure readability, confidence, and usefulness [4].…”