YouTube as an information and education source for early orthodontic treatment

Is the quality of the orthodontic information in social media platforms reliable?: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Social networks have become a widely used and accessible source of health-related information for patients, but this material is not always accurate or appropriate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of orthodontic information available on 2 of the most popular social media platforms.

STUDIES REVIEWED

The authors conducted a systematic search of the literature that analyzed the quality of information regarding orthodontics on social networks and used recognized quality-evaluation methods, such as DISCERN, modified DISCERN, and the Quality Global Scale or the Video Information Quality Index, in the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, and Scopus and through a manual search of gray literature.

RESULTS

The authors identified a total of 534 potentially eligible articles, of which 22 eventually were included in the qualitative analysis. The application of the scales revealed that most of the content was of insufficient quality and lacked scientific rigor, precision, and support from reliable sources. The authors observed marked heterogeneity in the nature of the publications analyzed, with the most recurrent topics being general orthodontic treatment and the use of clear aligners.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Social media platforms provide low-quality information to patients, which potentially can be harmful. These findings underscore the need to offer alternative ways to resolve patient queries before and during treatment and highlight the importance of promoting informed and responsible education regarding online information on orthodontic treatments.

Content quality and reliablity of YouTube™ videos as a source of information about good oral hygiene practices in adults

Background

Good oral hygiene is crucial for preventing dental caries and periodontal diseases. However, proper and regular application of oral hygiene practices requires adequate knowledge. In recent years, the internet has become one of the most popular places to find health-related information, necessitating studies that analyze the quality of the content available online. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the content quality and reliability of YouTube™ videos on the topic of adult oral hygiene practices and to guide oral health care professionals who use this platform for patient education.

Methods

A YouTube™ search was performed of the most frequent search term, 'dental hygiene'. A total of 150 videos were screened, and 51 were included in the final study. The characteristics, sources, and content of the videos were analyzed using the Global Quality Score (GQS) and DISCERN reliability indices. The IBM SPSS 25 program was used for statistical analyses.

Results

Most of the included videos were uploaded by oral health care professionals (63%). GQS revealed only 17.6% of the videos were excellent quality whereas 23.5% of them were poor quality. In the content analysis, 62.7% of the videos were deemed moderately useful. Video duration, total content score, and interaction indices were all significantly higher in the useful and very useful groups compared to the slightly useful group (p = 0.020, p < 0.001, p = 0.040). GQS had a positive, low-medium statistically significant correlation with both video duration and total content scores (r = 0.235, r = 0.517; p < 0.05). DISCERN score also had a positive, low-medium statistically significant correlation with total content score (r = 0.500; p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The study concluded that most YouTube™ videos on oral hygiene practices for adults are moderately useful. When using YouTube™ for patient education, oral health care professionals and organizations should be aware of low-quality videos and seek out accurate, useful videos. There is also a need for quality videos with expanded oral health content.

YouTube as a learning source for contact lens insertion and removal

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Contact lens neophytes often learn about contact lens insertion and removal through YouTube videos of unknown quality.

BACKGROUND

This study evaluates the quality of soft contact lens insertion and removal videos on YouTube.

METHODS

A search for the keywords 'Contact lens insertion', 'Contact lens removal', 'Put in contact lens', and 'Take off contact lens' was performed on YouTube. The first 50 videos for each keyword were evaluated. The number of views, source of the publisher, days since upload, and video quality were scored based on the content in the videos. The maximum score of insertion and removal videos were 7 and 5 respectively. The videos were classified into three groups by publisher category: videos published by eye care professionals, companies and YouTubers.

RESULTS

Only 45 contact lens insertion and 44 removal videos met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. Insertion and removal videos published by YouTubers had the highest view and view rate. However, their quality scores were significantly lower than videos published by eye care professionals and companies. Videos uploaded by companies had the highest scores (insertion: 5.00 ± 1.10; removal: 3.25 ± 0.75). The mean scores of insertion and removal videos published by YouTubers were 1.65 ± 0.93 and 1.00 ± 0.89, respectively, while the insertion and removal videos uploaded by eye care professionals scored 3.58 ± 2.07 and 2.75 ± 1.53, respectively. There was also a negative correlation between the quality scores and view rate (p = 0.008, r = -0.41).

CONCLUSION

Contact lens insertion and removal videos uploaded by YouTubers had the highest view rate but the lowest quality. Videos made by companies included most essential elements.

Orthodontic Elastics: A Multivariable Analysis of YouTubeTM Videos

Background/Purpose

Whether YouTube videos contain precise and adequate information on certain orthodontic procedures remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the content and quality of YouTube videos on orthodontic elastics and identify the predictors of high-level content YouTube videos.

Materials and Methods

Two hundred YouTube videos were screened for eligibility, and after applying the inclusion criteria, 133 videos were excluded. Student's t-test was used to compare the characteristics, quality parameters, and total content of the low-level and high-level content videos. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were implemented to identify the source and content element differences across low-level and high-level content videos. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between the total content score, video information and quality index (VIQI), and YouTube characteristics. Stepwise linear multiple regressions with forward selection were used to test the association of the YouTube characteristics and VIQI with the total content score.

Results

Among 67 included videos, only 19.4% of videos were classified as high-level content videos. High-level content videos had significantly higher mean number of likes (MD = 4041.7; SD = 4680.7; P-value=0.0068), VIQI score (MD = 4.17; SD = 4.87; P-value=0.0073), and total content score (MD = 4.04; SD = 1.23; P-value=<0.0001). The adjusted linear regression model demonstrated a significant association between the total content score and VIQI, where 1 unit increase in the VIQI was significantly associated with a 0.16 increase in the total content score (B = 0.16; standard error [SE]=0.04; P = 0.0003). Further, a significant association was observed between the total content score and video duration, where 1 minute increase in the video duration was significantly associated with a 0.15 increase in the total content score (B = 0.15; SE = 0.05; P = 0.008).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that YouTube content quality concerning orthodontic elastics is poor. Thus, future implementation of online visual content provided by certified orthodontists will ensure accurate and thorough information delivery.

A sustainable, self-sufficient peer review algorithm for health-related YouTube videos: A proposal

YouTube has recently become one of the major sources of information in the field of health. Not only healthcare professionals but also laypersons can upload videos to YouTube and this fact creates a significant heterogeneity in the content, viewpoint, and accuracy of the available videos. Particularly, those videos presenting personal experiences and inferences on health problems may not rely on scientific evidence thus create inaccurate information. This commentary aims to propose an algorithm to improve the accuracy and reliability of health-related YouTube videos.

Content quality and reliability of YouTube videos on oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic analysis

INTRODUCTION

YouTube's popularity as a health information source raises concerns about credibility due to the absence of peer review. Therefore, this study assessed the content quality and reliability of YouTube videos related to oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

METHODS

Videos were systematically searched on August 20, 2023, using terms determined through Google Trends. Videos were included based on predefined criteria and independently assessed by two researchers. Video demographics were extracted. Video quality was evaluated using audio-visual (AV) quality, video information and quality index (VIQI), global quality score (GQS), and reliability using a modified DISCERN tool (mDISCERN). High and low-content videos were defined based on the customized 10-point scoring system. Inter- and intra-examiner reliability of scoring system were calculated.

RESULTS

Most videos were educational (46.3%), presented by dental sleep medicine specialists (42.6%), and aimed at laypersons (63%), with the majority originating from the United States (79.6%). The final 54 videos were categorized as high-content (n = 29, 54%) and low-content (n = 25, 46%). High-content videos had more views, comments, and longer video durations (7.07 ± 6.04 min). Significant differences (p < .05) were observed among high and low-content videos in total VIQI, mDISCERN, GQS, and TCS. Moderate correlations were found between GQS and TCS (r = 0.721), mDISCERN and VIQI (r = 0.649), GQS and VIQI (r = 0.601), and AV quality and VIQI (r = 0.531).

CONCLUSION

The study highlights variable content quality and reliability of YouTube videos on oral appliance therapy for OSA, emphasizing the need for guidelines to enhance their educational value and deliver reliable, evidence-based information to patients.

YouTube as a Patient Information Source for Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease

Introduction Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects a substantial portion of the global population, resulting in significant morbidity and impacting the quality of life. YouTube (YouTube, San Bruno, California) serves as a platform where medical professionals, individuals with personal experiences, and educational channels share their insights on GERD. However, with the vast amount of information available on YouTube, the question of credibility and reliability is a concern and, thus, is crucial to evaluate. This research paper aims to explore the impact of YouTube as a source of information on GERD. The aim of this study is to assess the quality and reliability of the information on YouTube about GERD. Methodology This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in June 2023. A questionnaire was designed using Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, California) with predetermined criteria such as characteristics of YouTube videos (time since uploaded, uploader, number of likes and comments); information about GERD (symptoms, investigations, treatment); and quality and reliability of information on YouTube about GERD using Global Quality Scale (GQS) and Reliability score. The Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to evaluate the difference in quality and reliability of information about GERD on YouTube based on the type of uploader.  Results Out of 90 videos analyzed, 68 YouTube videos on GERD that met inclusion criteria were included in the study. The number of videos uploaded by hospitals was 28 (41.2%), those by doctors was 12 (17.6%), and the remaining by others (like pharmacists, patients, and non-medical personnel) was 28 (41.2%). A significant proportion of videos (88.24%) shared information pertaining to disease symptoms and cause/etiology. The videos uploaded by "others" had significantly higher (p<0.05) reach as assessed by the Video Power Index (VPI) compared to those uploaded by doctors and hospitals. However, there was no significant difference (>0.05) in the quality and reliability of videos uploaded by doctors, hospitals, and other sources.  Conclusion Although the YouTube videos uploaded by doctors and hospitals had less reach among viewers compared to other uploaders (patients, news agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and others unrelated to healthcare), the quality and reliability of videos uploaded by doctors, hospitals, and other uploaders were of good quality and reliability and with no significant difference based on type of uploader. Healthcare organizations and government agencies should ensure that viewers have access to accurate and reliable information from social media like YouTube, which is crucial in their health decision-making.