Quality of Turkish Online Information on Antibiotic Use in Periodontal Treatment: A Web-Based Analysis

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the reliability, quality and infodemiological profile of online information on antibiotic use in periodontal disease treatment in Turkiye.

Materials and Methods: Six Turkish search terms related to periodontal antibiotics were queried in Google and Yandex in March 2026. After deduplication and eligibility screening, 116 webpages were analysed. Reliability was assessed using Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, information quality using DISCERN and Global Quality Scale (GQS), and clinical alignment using a periodontal antibiotic stewardship checklist based on contemporary periodontal guidance. Readability was estimated with the Atesman index. Group comparisons were performed using Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests.

Results: The median DISCERN score was 38.0 (IQR: 31.0-48.0), and 64.7% of webpages were classified as poor or very poor. The median JAMA score was 1.0 (IQR: 1.0-2.0), with attribution present in 19.0% and currency in 28.4%. Professional/university websites had higher DISCERN scores than private clinic websites (52.0 vs 36.0; p<0.001) and greater guideline alignment (6.0 vs 3.0; p<0.001). Only 21.6% required clinical evaluation before antibiotics, whereas 34.5% implied that antibiotics could independently treat gingival or periodontal inflammation. Antimicrobial resistance was mentioned in 27.6% of webpages. Higher search rank was weakly associated with lower DISCERN scores (rho=-0.24; p=0.010).

Conclusion: Turkish online information on periodontal antibiotic use was highly visible but clinically uneven. Most webpages lacked transparent sourcing, risk communication and stewardship-oriented messages. These findings may help Turkish dental regulatory bodies and professional organizations develop standardized, search-visible public guidance on periodontal antibiotic use.