Research of oral health information by patients of a university dental clinic

The World Wide Web is a big repository of information, where generic information is mixed with health information. Health information seekers are increasing in the Internet, looking for information related to general health and also oral health. As so, the aim of this study was to determine the use of the Internet by patients in a university dental clinic to obtain information about their oral health needs and treatment. A questionnaire (adapted from Riordáin, 2009) (1) was applied to patients of the University Dental Clinic of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. The sample consisted of 100 individuals. It was found that 50% of patients had access to the Internet daily, but only 43% of patients sought or had a family member or friend who sought out their oral condition. Of the patients surveyed, 64% are familiar with the use of the Internet in their daily lives and approximately 1 in 2 (36 in 64 patients) use the Internet to research their oral health condition. The internet seems to represent a tool for obtaining relevant information. The dentist/patient doctor relationship has changed since the onset of the internet.