Readability of Turkish Online Patient Information Texts Regarding Night Guards: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Abstract
Aim: Night guards are commonly used in the management of various orofacial conditions such as temporomandibular joint disorders and bruxism. Considering the increasing use of the internet as a primary source of health information, this study aimed to evaluate the readability level of Turkish online informational texts about night guards. Materials and Methods: Websites containing informational texts identified through the Google search engine using the keyword “what is a night guard” were included in the study. The URLs of the websites, the publishers, and the areas of expertise of the authors were recorded. The readability of the texts was analyzed using the Ateşman readability index. According to this index, scores were classified as very difficult (1–29), difficult (30–49), medium-difficult (50–69), easy (70–89), and very easy (≥90). Findings: A total of 48 websites were evaluated. Among the analyzed texts, 68.7% were prepared by private dental clinics and 41.7% by prosthetic dentistry specialists. The mean Ateşman readability score was 62±6.0, indicating that the texts were generally understandable at a 9th–10th grade level. It was found that 4.2% of the texts were categorized as easy, 93.8% as medium-difficult, and 2.1% as difficult. Conclusion: Considering that the average reading level in Türkiye corresponds approximately to the 6th grade, most online patient information texts about night guards are difficult to understand.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Prosthodontics
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Publication Date
August 21, 2026
Submission Date
August 1, 2026
Acceptance Date
August 19, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 1 Number: 2