Confiabilidade e Qualidade das Informações On-line sobre Câncer Bucal: o Panorama Brasileiro

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer is a public health issue of interest to both health professionals and patients, who seek knowledge on the subject, especially through the internet. Objective: Given the importance of obtaining reliable content, the aim of this article is to evaluate the quality of information on oral cancer provided by Brazilian sites found after an online search. Method: Three keywords related to oral cancer were entered into Google®, to identify sites and assess their degree of reliability and level of the content. Results: With respect to reliability, it was noted that there were sites that had no important data such as the qualification of persons or institutions responsible, and did not state that the contents do not replace medical consultation. Regarding the content, the subject of prevention was the most present, in addition to basic clinical features of oral cancer and self-examination, although a minority of pages presented more specific information such as histopathology, rehabilitation, prognosis  and complications. Conclusion: In cases of Internet users who seek only basic information about the disease, it is possible to find good research tools, however, the same material is considered insufficient for those in the academic and professional public health area, who are struggling to get quality material with more specific information.