Use of Social Media to View and Post Dentistry-related Information in Bahrain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives: Healthcare-related information sharing via social media is on the rise following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Dental practices primarily use social media to search, share, and communicate health-related information. Considering the increasing trend of using social media, the primary aim of the present study was to identify the use of social media by dentists and laypeople to post and view dentistry-related content in Bahrain.Methods: This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study included adult participants and dentists. A pretested validated questionnaire was administered. The chi-square test for association was used to assess the association between categorical outcomes. A <i>p</i>-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: In total, 249 adult participants and 53 dentists were included. A substantial majority (83.5%) of the participants reported that they always used social media to view dentistry-related content, and 69.8% of the dentists felt that patients who use social media have better oral health awareness. A longer duration of social media usage showed significant associations with particularly viewing dentistry-related content (<i>p</i> = 0.008) and contacting dentists directly through social media for consultation (<i>p</i> = 0.055).Conclusions: An extremely high percentage of the younger population in Bahrain is using various social media to discuss dentistry. This engagement should be wisely managed to promote dentistry-related information sharing, which can lead to increased awareness related to overall dental health. There is a definite need to enforce certain standard operating procedures in every country that will prevent the misuse of this technological advancement.

Marketing Strategy in Dental Practices: A Scoping Review Study

“…Komunikasi pasien dan dokter gigi secara online sebelum perawatan gigi terbukti dapat membantu mengurangi rasa cemas yang dirasakan oleh pasien, hal ini menunjukan bahwa penggunaan media sosial selain untuk meningkatkan pemasaran tetapi juga membantu mengurangi waktu pasien duduk di dental unit karena adanya rasa kepercayaan pasien kepada dokter gigi yang akan menanganinya. 14 Namun, hal ini berbeda dengan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Nur dkk di Malaysia. Mayoritas dokter gigi menggunakan platform media sosial untuk keperluan pribadi (77,8%), yang meliputi unggahan foto, video, atau mengobrol secara online.…”