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Dental Implants’ Homepages:
Are they Educative?
A Cross-Sectional Study
Layla Abdel-Aziz Abu-Naba’a
BDS, PhD, MFDRCS
• Department of Substitutive
oral sciences, college of
dentistry, Taibah University,
AlMadinah AlMonawwarah
KSA
• Formerly Prosthodontic
Department, Jordan
University of Science and
Technology, Jordan
laylanabaa@hotmail.com
Abstract
Dental implant manufacturers’ web pages are presenting more links to educative
material targeting students, dental practitioners, technicians, and patients.
Aim: This cross-sectional study aims to describe the amount of links to educational and
scientific material in comparison with links to information, support services and other
web-based material using a standardized methodology.
Material and methods: A convenient sample of dental manufacturers’ web pages
was chosen. The ADA lists 39 companies in its dental buying guide “ IMPLANTS AND
ACCESSORIES CATEGORY “ in 2010. Icons present in the companies web pages are active
links, which linked the surfer to other web pages. The subsequent webpage was categorized
according to the material presented in it as: Educational and scientific materials,
Information materials, Services and support materials. Target audiences were described.
Results: This study shows that homepages focus on being directories, containing
variable numbers of clickable icons. Clicking them lead the reader to other web pages,
either containing the actual material of interest, or containing another directory of more
clickable icons. Types of material presented by the clickable icons on the homepages
of the sample, included a sum of 93 informative, 64 service related or supportive
and 85 lead to material described as educational. Three homepages represented a
comprehensive directory by including icons leading to all three materials’ categories(one
included a sum of 78 links, the second included 57 and the final had 42 links).
Conclusions: Within the limit of this cross sectional study, it is concluded that
educational material is considered as a major category of material presented by the
homepages of dental implant manufacturers.
Keywords: Dental Implants, Education, e-resources, Cross-sectional study, Internet.
Introduction
Internet became a preferred tool for enquiries, information gathering and
communications for many. Clinical skills of health professionals were enhanced by this
new learning behavior that evolved with the expanding use of the net. It helped surfers
to answer patient related questions, pharmaceutical inquiries, and update and follow
clinical developments. 1
However, many experts involved in critical appraisals of internet-disseminated
materials, advocated professionals to perform informed searches and rely on evidence
derived from good research. 2 They disseminated this message by spreading the word
through the internet!
Dental bodies also promote evidence-based dentistry and set guides for the learners
on how to judge the hierarchy of evidence. More and more educative material are
distributed by the internet as an instructional method, which proved better than traditional
methods. 3 Now it is accepted to accumulate independent-study points from internet-
| 14 | Smile Dental Journal | Volume 6, Issue 4 - 2011