The informative value and design of orthodontic practice websites in The Netherlands

Abstract

Background: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to investigate the regulatory compliance of Dutch practice websites offering orthodontic services, readability of the available treatment information, website design as well as possible relationship with practice location and professional qualification of practitioners. Methods: A comprehensive Internet search was performed using the Google search engine and five relevant terms in Dutch. Eligibility screening of the first 50 results of each search led to the final inclusion of 111 websites. The content of the selected websites was evaluated in terms of compliance to international regulations on ethical advertising guidelines (CED), treatment information text readability using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), and website design using the BDC assessment tool. Results: Reporting of websites according to CED guidelines covered on average 85% of the mandatory items. No significant differences were observed between dental and orthodontic practices, and between practices located in densely and sparsely populated regions (P > 0.05). The mean FRES of the displayed information indicated difficult-to-understand text. BDC scores of multi-location practices were significantly higher than the rest (P < 0.006). Conclusions: The websites of orthodontic practices in The Netherlands do not fully comply with CED guidelines on ethical advertising. Readability of the displayed information and website technical performance needs to be further optimized.

Information on the Internet about clear aligner treatment—an assessment of content, quality, and readability

“…The mean BDC scores of websites of all authorships were higher than those reported by Oey and Livas for orthodontic practice websites in the Netherlands [36], reflecting better optimization of the websites evaluated in our study. Professional organization websites had the highest mean BDC score, followed by multidisciplinary dental clinics (Table 2).…”

“…The financial backup and enhanced office functions of professional organizations may therefore explain this result. Similarly, consolidation of dental care by multidisciplinary dental clinics and dental practice chains may have enabled better integration of information technology services for multidisciplinary dental clinics [ 36 ].…”

Making impressions count: An evaluation of the quality of information provided by orthodontic practices in London in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Recent research into the design and content of orthodontic practice websites in the UK revealed wide variation amongst websites and suboptimal performance against validated measures of accessibility, usability and reliability [11]. This echoes results of a recent Dutch study which found that the informative value and design of orthodontic practice websites in The Netherlands was low and information was set above the average reading age of the population [16]. As we move forward, even as we possibly exit the disruption of COVID-19, It would be encouraging to see patients able to access relevant and reliable information from the website or social media page(s) of the practice they attend.…”

Quality assessment of available Internet information on early orthodontic treatment

“…The study found that despite the apparent variability in the quality of information on the Internet, the overall quality rating, as measured by the DISCERN tool, tends to be low or medium for the majority of websites. Oey and Livas [ 35 ] assessed hundred websites, employing the Dutch language as the search language. The mean FRES derived from the examination of information presented on websites within the study presented textual content characterized by a level of complexity, indicating difficulty in understanding.Research conducted in diverse linguistic contexts analogous to the present study has revealed parallels with our findings.…”