Dental Contact Lenses: An Ecological Study of Online Searches in Brazil.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate trends in searches for "dental contact lenses" on Google Trends and their association with sociodemographic variables of Brazilian states.

Methods: This ecological study utilised Google Trends to analyse search frequencies for "dental contact lenses" in Brazilian states over 5 years. Data were collected from two categories: "health" and "all categories". Exploratory variables included total population, per capita income, Gini index, illiteracy rate, use of internet, number of dentists, number of specialists in Periodontology, Operative Dentistry and Dental Prosthesis, number of dental schools, and healthcare units. Pearson correlations and time series analyses were conducted.

Results: São Paulo, Santa Catarina, the Federal District, and Tocantins exhibited the highest search frequencies in the "Health" category, while Minas Gerais had the highest search when considering all categories. Some states in the Northeast demonstrated the lowest search frequencies in both categories. Significant and positive correlations were observed between the outcome, when using all categories, and the following variables: total population (r = 0.500), per capita income (r = 0.468), use of internet (r = 0.522), higher education (r = 0.686), and number of entists (r = 0.806). Inverse correlations were detected with Gini index (r = -0.467), illiteracy rate (r = -0.734), number of public dental schools (r = -0.430), and primary health units (r = -0.472). A similar pattern of results was observed for the health category across most exploratory variables. Both analyses revealed a pattern of seasonality (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Higher socio-economic status and concentrations of dental professionals in the Brazilian states resulted in higher searches for "dental contact lenses."