Information about oral cancer on the Internet: our patients cannot understand it. Issue 4 (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Varela-Centelles, P.; Ledesma-Ludi, Y.; Seoane-Romero, J.M.; Seoane, J.
• Is Part Of: British journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Volume 53:Issue 4(2015)
• Page Start: 393
• Page End: 395
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: Mouth -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Maxilla -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Face -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Surgery, Plastic -- Periodicals; Dentistry, Operative -- Periodicals; Face -- surgery -- Periodicals; Mouth -- surgery -- Periodicals; Maxilla -- surgery -- Periodicals; Surgery, Oral -- Periodicals; Oral Surgical Procedures -- Periodicals; Dentistry, Operative -- Periodicals; Bouche -- Chirurgie -- Périodiques; Maxillaire supérieur -- Chirurgie -- Périodiques; Face -- Chirurgie -- Périodiques; Chirurgie dentaire -- Périodiques; Dentistry, Operative; Face -- Surgery; Maxilla -- Surgery; Mouth -- Surgery; Surgery, Plastic; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 617.52059
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2015.01.020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0266-4356

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="author" id="abs0005"> <title id="sect0005">Abstract</title> <sec> <p id="spar0005">Although information about cancer on the Internet can be beneficial to patients and physicians, to our knowledge, comprehension by patients has not been investigated. We used 3 search engines to select websites on oral cancer then assessed their readability using the Flesch-Kinkaid Reading Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score, Gunning Fog Index, Coleman-Liau Index, Automated Readability Index, and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Index (SMOG). The mean scores for readability were within the range of "difficult to read" (FRES = 36.04 (14.87)) with high educational requirements (FKRGL = 11.44 (3.27)). This could hamper comprehension and is particularly worrying given the high percentage of people who have poor levels of literacy.</p> </sec> </abstract>