Orthognathic surgery: is patient information on the Internet valid?

The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality and reliability of UK websites providing information on orthognathic and jaw surgery to patients. An Internet search engine (www.google.com) was used to identify websites containing medical information on 'orthognathic surgery' and 'jaw surgery'. Of over 144,000 links for orthognathic surgery and 700,000 for jaw surgery, the first 100 were examined in detail. After excluding discussion groups, news and video feeds, and removing duplicate sites, only 25 relevant websites remained which were then evaluated using the DISCERN instrument (www.discern.org.uk/discern_instrument.php). Through the 16 questions assessing the reliability and quality of the consumer information which are scored from 1 to 5, a relative index of the quality of the information is produced. The maximum score attainable for an excellent website is 80. Of the 25 websites that were scored, DISCERN indicated the majority of websites fell well below the maximum score. The highest score achieved by one of the websites according to the DISCERN tool was 64 of 80 and the lowest score achieved was 21 of 80. The websites achieving maximum and minimum score were Wikipedia and qualitydentistry.com, respectively. By directing patients to validated websites, clinicians can ensure patients find appropriate information; however, further development of websites relating to orthognathic surgery is required. Internet information should be updated on a regular basis to account for improvements in orthodontic and surgical care.