Journal of Endodontics
Abstract
Introduction
There
is an absence of professional consensus regarding when a tooth should
be retained with root canal treatment and when to extract and replace it
with an implant. Considering that patients often seek health-related
information on the Internet, completeness and accuracy of online content
are highly desirable. Websites should also fulfill several technical
characteristics to be accessible to all.
Methods
The search term
root canal treatment implant
was entered into 4 search engines. The first 100 webpages per engine
search were evaluated. After removal of duplicates, those webpages
comparing root canal treatment against single-tooth implant by using the
AAE Implant Statement criteria as a benchmark were included.
Completeness of information was evaluated against the AAE Statement by
using a binary scale assessment tool. The related content was
synthesized by using a protocol for systematic review of textual,
non-research evidence. The webpages/sites were assessed for
accessibility, usability, reliability, and quality of information by
using the DISCERN and LIDA tools.
Results
Twenty-six
relevant webpages were found. Information completeness scores ranged
from 1 to 6; however, nearly one third scored 1. Nine syntheses were
derived relating to survival rates, tooth restorability, bone quality,
esthetic demands, and systemic factors. The median overall scores for
LIDA and DISCERN were 72% and 61%, respectively.
Conclusions
There
is scarcity of information available on the Internet for the lay public
with respect to the specific clinical question, although the webpages'
content was consistent with available scientific literature. The
accessibility, usability, reliability, and quality of information were
largely moderate or low.
Comments