YouTube use among dental students for learning clinical procedures: A multi‐institutional study

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of YouTube as a learning tool for clinical procedures among third-and fourth-year dental students. Methods: A multiple choice survey was distributed through Qualtrics to thirdand fourth-year dental students at 5 United States dental schools. Questions pertaining to YouTube use were asked related to the following categories: demographic information, general YouTube use, YouTube use as a tool to learn clinical procedures, YouTube video sharing, and validity. Descriptive and quantitative analyses were performed. Results: Data were collected in 2019 and 2020 from 479 third-and fourth-year dental students (overall response rate 28.3%). Respondents ranged in age from under 23 to over age 50. Ninety-five percent of respondents considered YouTube videos on clinical procedures to be a helpful learning tool, and 89% would like for their dental school to post tutorials to YouTube/social media. No statistically significant differences were found between dental institutions; however, a statistically significant difference between third-and fourth-year students did exist regarding the frequency of YouTube use. While the use of YouTube as a learning tool for clinical procedures is high, 36% of students are uncertain about the evidence-base of the videos. Conclusions: As dental students use publicly available resources as adjuncts to the dental curriculum, it is important to analyze the quality of the material accessed. These findings may suggest a need for dental institutions to increase the development of evidence-based instructional videos as a part of their clinical educational curriculums.

How US dental schools can better prepare their students to perform operative procedures

“…A recent study conducted by Burns et al. assessing dental students’ usage of YouTube for learning clinical procedures provides valuable insight about the reasons why dental students turn to YouTube videos over, or in addition to, their curricular video resources 3 . The majority of students in the study stated they were likely to refer to YouTube videos prior to completing a procedure for the first time.…”

“…In light of these results, students should be wary of what they read and watch online. Nevertheless, students will continue to value YouTube for its accessibility and opportunity to learn different approaches to clinical procedure techniques 3 . Acknowledging this preference but in order to stem the spread of misinformation, dental faculty should utilize their knowledge and experience to direct students’ attention toward academically verified online content.…”

“…Unlike previous generations of dental students, the modern dental student has matured surrounded by technology, and is accustomed to using online video and content‐sharing platforms for both leisure and learning 3 . Beyond characterizing the resources students use to learn operative dentistry, we aimed to compare utilization rates of these curricular and supplemental resources among students.…”

Aprendizagem ubíqua em foco: uma view científica no conteúdo de Odontologia do YouTube e Facebook – estudo piloto

“…Os resultados desta pesquisa mostraram de forma clara que apesar do Facebook ser uma rede social amplamente utilizada, quando se trata de conteúdos acadêmicos para odontologia, o YouTube disponibiliza recursos mais didáticos para aprendizagem. E isso é comprovado por vários estudos (Knösel, 2011;Jaffar, 2012;Quintanilha, 2017;Burns et al, 2020), que afirmam ser o YouTube a fonte mais utilizada não apenas por acadêmicos de odontologia, mas por todos os estudantes da área da saúde.…”

RoboEthics in COVID-19: A Case Study in Dentistry

“…In the time of COVID-19, as dental education transitioned online, such theoretical knowledge would have been taught through e-learning tools such as Canvas ( Iyer et al, 2020 ). Additionally, dental students have reported using YouTube to watch videos of dental procedures being performed even before the COVID-19 pandemic ( Burns et al, 2020 ). This evidence suggests that the development of online tools can enhance dental education even after in-person education is resumed ( Alwadei et al, 2020 ; Burns et al, 2020 ; Jeganathan and Fleming, 2020 ).…”