Decoding the Web for Quality Insights on Mouthwash Information in Brazilian Websites

Background: The internet is an important source of health information for the population. There is robust evidence about the efficacy of mouthwashes in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. However, many websites containing mouthwash-related content may display misinformation and be challenging to read and understand. Thus, this study evaluates the quality of information available about mouthwashes on Brazilian websites. Methods: A total of 100 websites were evaluated across Google, Bing and Yahoo!. The websites were organised into rankings according to their order of appearance on each of the four search engines. Two independent examiners assessed the quality of the websites using the DISCERN questionnaire and the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria. The readability of the sites was assessed by the Flesch Reading Ease adapted to Brazilian Portuguese (FRE-BP). The content of the websites was categorised according to the presence or absence of information relevant to the theme. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman rank correlation coefficient, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test and Dunn post hoc test. Results: A total of 32 sites were analysed. Web content was considered of poor quality by DISCERN (mean 37.46 ± 8.28) and JAMA (mean 1.37 ± 0.87) scores, presenting difficult reading levels (FRE-BP: mean 44.04 ± 9.89). Conclusions: The mouthwash-related content available on Brazilian websites was considered of low quality and difficult to read.