Comparison of Internet Searches for Specialized Dental Clinics in Japan and United States

Abstract

This study investigated the present status of specialized dental treatment that was sought on the Internet by people in Japan and the United States. Searches on Yahoo! Japan and Yahoo! America were performed using “dental clinic” and specific specialties, for example, sports dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, dental implant, as keywords. The magnitude of search results progressed in the order of sports dentistry, orthodontics, dental implant, and others in Japan. In the United States, the order of search results was oral surgery, sports dentistry, dental implant, and others. Regarding combinations of specialties, the most frequent found combination was dental implant and cosmetic dentistry in Japan. In the United States, it was a combination of cosmetic dentistry and sports dentistry. These findings showed that people were frequently interested in sports dentistry, cosmetic dentistry and dental implants in both countries. It is necessary to display these specialties on the dental clinic homepage in order to attract the interest of potentials in both countries.