Infodemiological Analysis of Wisdom Tooth-Related Online Search Behaviour and Its Clinical Implications
Authors: Ritika Thakur, Manish Sharma, Satvik Arora, Sahil Batra
Keywords: Infodemiology, wisdom teeth, third molar, Google Trends, social media, online health information
Abstract:
Background: Wisdom teeth (third molars) are the most common reason for oral surgery around the world, but not enough is known about how people look for information about this topic. Infodemiology is the science that looks at how information spreads and what factors affect it in electronic media.
Objectives: This study sought to (i) delineate the global temporal and seasonal trends in wisdom tooth-related online search behaviour utilising Google Trends (GT) data from 2004 to 2025, (ii) characterise the thematic and qualitative profile of wisdom tooth content across prominent social media platforms, and (iii) extract evidence-based clinical implications for oral health practitioners. Methods: An infodemiological cross-sectional design was utilised. We used GT to get the Relative Search Volume (RSV) for five main search terms in both global and country-specific settings. Content from Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube was Patients who viewed unvetted social media content pre-operatively exhibited significantly higher pre-surgical anxiety.
Conclusions: Online search behaviour related to wisdom teeth exhibits consistent seasonal trends, influenced by the epidemiology of pericoronitis and third molar complications. Most of the digital health information on this subject is not very good. Dental professionals must proactively tackle the infodemic concerning wisdom teeth by advocating for evidence-based digital content and incorporating search trend data into public health monitoring and seasonal resource allocation.
