Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online searches for dental information

a Google Trends analysis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the population's interest in teeth whitening, through the analysis of internet searches throughout the pandemic period. Google Trends was used to measure searches for teeth whitening from March 2018 to May 2024, in Brazil. The terms used were: teeth whitening, whiten teeth and white teeth. The Friedman test and repeated measures ANOVA were applied. There was no difference in searches for Teeth Whitening in Brazil before and during the pandemic (p=0.862), but it was lower after the pandemic (p<0.001). There was a significant decrease in searches for Home Whitening over time (p<0.001). The search for in-office whitening was higher after the pandemic (p<0.001). It is concluded that, in Brazil, people searched less for Dental Whitening and Home Whitening during the pandemic, while after the pandemic, searches for In-Office Whitening increased.

Published
2025-09-12