# Quality Assessment of Internet Information Regarding Periodontitis in Persons Living with HIV

## TL;DR

This study evaluates the quality and readability of online information about periodontitis for people living with HIV, finding that it often requires advanced reading skills and lacks quality standards.

## Contribution

The study provides a quality and readability assessment of online periodontitis information for people living with HIV using JAMA benchmarks and Flesch scores.

## Key findings

- The mean JAMA quality score for websites was 2.81, indicating generally low quality.
- The average Flesch reading ease score was 57.1, suggesting the content is difficult to read.
- Most websites advised self-treatment for oral issues but emphasized seeking professional dental care.

## Abstract

The Internet is the most used source of HIV information second to information received from healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of Internet information about periodontitis in people living with HIV (PLWH). An Internet search was performed on 18 April 2024 using the search terms “Periodontitis”, “Periodontal disease”, and “Gum disease” in combination with “HIV” in the most popular search engines (Google™, Bing™, and YAHOO!®). The first 20 results from each search term engine were pooled for analysis. Quality was assessed by JAMA benchmarks. Readability was assessed using the Flesch reading ease score (FRES). Origin of the site, type of author, and information details were also recorded. The quality of Internet information about periodontitis in PLWH varied. The mean JAMA score was 2.81 (SD = 1.0). The websites were generally fairly difficult to read (mean FRES = 57.1, SD = 15.0). Most websites provided some advice about self-treatment of oral problems, accompanied by a strong recommendation to seek professional dental care. In conclusion, advanced reading skills on periodontitis in PLWH were required and quality features were mostly not provided. Therefore, healthcare professionals should be actively involved in developing high-quality information resources and direct patients to evidence-based materials on the Internet.