Is YouTubeTM the right address to get information on providing hygienic care for dental prostheses users?

Abstract

Objective: Patients increasingly use social media platforms such as YouTubeTM to get information about health issues. However, the effect of the videos on YouTubeTM on oral health care is still controversial. This study aimed to analyze the content quality of the videos on YouTubeTM about the oral hygiene care of various dental prostheses. Material and Methods: YouTubeTM videos were searched utilizing operators and keywords: «* (denture OR prosthesis OR implant) hygiene OR care OR cleaning OR brushing OR maintenance». The videos were ordered by "relevance". The video's source, origin, and content; duration; the number of likes, dislikes, comments, and views; the number of days since upload; viewing rate and viewer interactions were recorded for each video. In addition, videos were scored for the usefulness of their content: poor (0), moderate (1), or excellent (2). Results: 200 videos were screened, and 82 videos that met the criteria were analyzed in the study. It was found that most of the videos (72.2%) were uploaded from the USA, and the popular video topics were about complete dentures and implant-supported fixed dentures (48.8% and 43.9%, respectively). It has been observed that the usefulness score of the videos, which ranges from 0 to 2 and has an average of 1.06, had a positive and significant correlation with the number of likes and viewer interactions separately. Conclusion: Social media usage can be an effective tool for patients to learn about oral hygienic care for dental prostheses. However, it should be noted that YouTubeTM may also contain misleading information due to its dynamic nature. Healthcare professionals can be important in directing patients to videos with correct and qualified content.