Abstract

Background: The Internet represents an increasingly common source of dental health related information, and it has facilitated a wide range of interactions between patient and the oral health care providers.

Aim: To evaluate the perception and behaviour of Penang International Dental College (PIDC), Penang, Malaysia patients towards online dental health information.

Methodology: A pre validated questionnaire was randomly distributed to 365 new and existing patients of PIDC attending treatment at the facility during the years 2019-2020. Convenience sampling was carried out for patients attending PIDC for their treatment. Statistical analysis: T-test was used to find the significant difference between the younger users (<35) and the older users (36-75) pertaining to using the internet for seeking dental health information. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation was applied to correlate the relationship between age and the frequency of internet use for seeking dental information.

Result: PIDC has a satisfactory number of patients (268) who use the internet for seeking dental health information. The patients have a positive perception towards the online dental health information gathered with a mean score of 28.7. There is a significant difference between the younger users (<35) and the older users (36-75) pertaining to using the internet for seeking dental health information (ρ<0.05). There is a significant relationship between age and the frequency of internet use for seeking dental information (ρ<0.05).

Conclusion: PIDC does have a satisfactory number of patients who use the internet for seeking dental health information with a positive perception towards the information gathered.

Keywords: Internet; Dental health information; Perception; Behavior