Factors associated with internet use to obtain oral health-related information

In recent decades, there has been an increase in internet searches for oral health information by patients, but little is known about which factors may influence this process. This cross-sectional study investigates factors associated with internet use to obtain oral health-related information in a sample of adults.

Adult users of 6 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres located in a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were recruited to participate in the study. Data were collected on socioeconomic, behavioural, and dental characteristics, and internet use to obtain information about oral health. Simple and multiple logistic regression were performed for analysis between predictor variables and the outcome (internet use).

A sample of 301 adults participated in the study. In the final adjusted model, users with secondary education (OR = 2.53; 95% CI:1.11-5.79), who more frequently searched the internet for health information (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.25-4.20), who thought the internet was more useful for making health decisions (OR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.47-4.48), who had spoken to a health care professional in the last 12 months about information obtained on the internet (OR = 3.10; 95% CI: 1.77-5.44), whose last dental consultation was prompted by urgent reasons (OR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1, 25-4.23), and who had greater autonomy in decision making related to oral health (OR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.10-3.27) were more likely to use the internet to obtain oral health-related information (p < 0.05).

Sociodemographic, behavioural, and dental factors were associated with internet use to obtain oral health-related information in adults.