Toothpaste-related interests of Google users from different countries

Abstract

Background The Internet is a growing source of knowledge and can provide information about oral health. This ecological study aimed to characterize the interests of Google users on toothpaste in different countries. Methods This longitudinal retrospective study analyzed the toothpaste-related interest of Google users from ten distinct countries between January 2004 and December 2020. The monthly variation in Relative Search Volume (RSV) and the main related queries were determined using Google Trends. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) forecasting models were built to establish the predictive RSV values for mouthwash for an additional 12 months. Auto-correlation plots and a general additive model (GAM) were used to diagnose trends and seasonality in RSV curves. Additionally, the influence of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemics was analyzed. Results Although not detected by ACF and PACF analyses, the heuristic analysis showed an increase in the interest in toothpaste-related information in all countries, with a stable trend observed in the 12-month forecasts, except for the increases in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Also, GAM analyses demonstrated a non-significant monthly or quarterly seasonal influence on data. In addition, the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic did not influence the online information-seeking behavior of Google Search users linked to this topic. Discussion The heuristic analysis of the time series indicated an increase in the interest of Internet users in toothpaste between January 2004 and December 2020. This increase may reflect the population's growing autonomy for solving their own health problems. The Internet seems to be the most popular source of information. As such, this information may enable the implementation of specific public oral health policies and oral-care communications based on the population´s needs. Along these lines, information monitoring and improvements in oral health literacy may contribute to the reduction of currently existing social and economic barriers. Conclusion The interest of Google Search users in information about toothpaste increased in all ten countries. These trends were not influenced by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in most countries.