YouTube, Dentistry, and Dental Education

TLDR

YouTube and similar social media platforms offer new educational possibilities that are currently underdeveloped and underestimated in their potential value. The study systematically assessed the informational value, intention, source, and bias of dentistry‑related videos available on YouTube. The authors searched YouTube for dentistry videos using relevance and most‑viewed sorts in All and Education categories, rated the first 30 results by two assessors, and analyzed the data with kappa, correlation, Mann‑Whitney, and a nonparametric three‑way ANOVA to evaluate sorting and category effects. The analysis revealed 279,000 All‑category and 5,050 Education‑category videos, a wide variety of content ranging from entertainment to education, and that Education‑labelled videos offer higher usefulness and informational value for laypersons, students, and professionals, highlighting the importance of these platforms for dentists and educators to shape public opinion.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to systematically assess the informational value, intention, source, and bias of videos related to dentistry available on the video‐sharing Internet platform YouTube. YouTube ( www.youtube.com ) was searched for videos related to dentistry, using the system‐generated sorts “by relevance” and “most viewed” and two categories (All and Education). Each of the first thirty results was rated by two assessors filling out a questionnaire for each (total: 120). The data were subjected to statistical analysis using Cohen's kappa, Pearson's correlation coefficient tau, Mann‐Whitney U‐tests, and a nonparametric three‐way ANOVA, including an analysis of the interaction between the sorting and category effect, with an α‐level of 5 percent. The scan produced 279,000 results in the category All and 5,050 in the category Education. The analysis revealed a wide variety of information about dentistry available on YouTube. The purpose of these videos includes entertainment, advertising, and education. The videos classified under Education have a higher degree of usefulness and informational value for laypersons, dental students, and dental professionals than those found in a broader search category. YouTube and similar social media websites offer new educational possibilities that are currently both underdeveloped and underestimated in terms of their potential value. Dentists and dental educators should also recognize the importance of these websites in shaping public opinion about their profession.