Quantitative and qualitative analyses of orthodontic-related videos on YouTube

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.

Orthodontic YouTube™ videos made by patients for patients: What are they about and are they accurate?

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the characteristics and content of YouTube™ videos created by patients undergoing orthodontic fixed appliance treatment and to assess the content accuracy of these videos.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative study.

DATA SOURCE

YouTube™ webpage.

METHODS

The term 'braces' was used to search for relevant videos on the YouTube™ webpage between 18 August and 30 August 2020, with no limits imposed regarding how long the video had been available on YouTube™. Videos were included if they were made by patients and were predominantly about patients' experiences during treatment with labial fixed appliances. The main themes/subthemes of the included videos were identified. A checklist was then developed to assess accuracy of the video content for two of the main themes and the videos were assessed against the checklist.

RESULTS

The video search identified 350 videos, of which 64 were selected as potentially eligible; 41 were subsequently excluded as they related primarily to the bond up/debond experience or had minimal information about orthodontics. This meant that 23 videos were ultimately included for analysis. Six main themes were identified in the videos: problems with fixed appliances, effects of fixed appliances, oral hygiene maintenance, dietary advice, treatment duration/appointment frequency and auxiliaries used with fixed appliances. From the 23 videos, 20 were assessed against the checklist for content accuracy related to two selected themes: oral hygiene maintenance and dietary advice. The majority of videos had low content accuracy scores, indicating that important and relevant content was generally missing.

CONCLUSION

Several included videos focused on oral hygiene maintenance and dietary advice associated with fixed appliances; however, the content was incomplete and not always accurate. This is concerning to the profession, and it is therefore recommended that clinicians consider collaborating with patients to produce videos that are patient-centred and that also contain accurate information.

Does YouTubeTM Offer High-Quality Information About Nasoalveolar Molding?

OBJECTIVE

To assess the content and quality of YouTubeTM videos concerning nasoalveolar molding (NAM).

DESIGN

YouTubeTM was searched for videos containing information relevant to NAM with the 2 keywords "nasoalveolar molding," and "presurgical infant orthopedics." A total of 24 out of 51 videos were found to be applicable to this study and rated for quality using the Global Quality Scale (GQS). To determine whether the contents of the selected 24 videos were useful or not, a content usefulness index consisting of 8 parameters was created. The videos were classified according to the usefulness index as low or high content videos. Spearman rank correlation analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk, and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The mean GQS score of the 24 YouTubeTM videos on NAM was 2.3 ± 0.8, indicating overall poor quality. In terms of information, videos with high content (29.2%) were less in number than low content videos (70.8%). GQS values were found to be significantly higher in the high content group (P < .01). Regarding the source, video, and audio quality values were significantly higher in the expert group compared to the caregiver group (P < .01), whereas the usefulness index did not differ between groups (P > .05). A significant relationship was found between GQS and usefulness index, audio quality, and video quality (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

YouTube™ videos on NAM were generally inadequate in their content information and poor in quality. Expert videos, showing better audiovisual quality and flow compared to non-expert videos, did not offer higher quality information about NAM considering the usefulness index.

Social media as a tool for oral health promotion: A systematic review

Social media platforms are common means of sharing information, personal experiences, and lifestyle. They can also be utilized as cost-effective methods for individuals to acquire health information and promote oral health. The purpose of the present study was to systematically review the current literature on the interventions taken through social media for promoting lay people's oral health. This systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42023395005) followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted in four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library) for relevant articles published between 2012 and 2023. Data such as study design, sample size, follow-up duration, utilized social media platforms and main findings were extracted from the eligible studies. The quality of the studies included in the systematic review was evaluated by the quality assessment tools for intervention studies recommended by the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools. Out of the 1934 records identified in the initial search, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. These studies comprised seven randomized control trials, one field trial and two quasi-experimental. Various social media platforms, including Telegram, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp and Snapchat, were used for communication with patients. Some studies solely utilized social media interventions, while others combined online and traditional interventions. The quality assessment categorized 30% of the studies as "strong", 50% as "moderate", and the remaining as "weak". The implementation of social media interventions positively influenced multiple aspects of oral health among the laypeople. Online platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram can be effectively utilized to promote oral health among patients.

Effectiveness of a New App in Improving Oral Hygiene in Orthodontic Patients: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this randomised clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of a mobile application (app) on the oral hygiene (OH) of adolescents undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.

METHODS

Eight volunteers (14-19 years old) were randomly allocated to the experimental or control groups. Volunteers in the control group received standard OH (SOH) instructions, whilst volunteers in the experimental group received SHO + OH guidance and motivation through an app tailor-made for this study. Clinical assessments were made using the visible plaque index (VPI) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) at 5 different time points: before orthodontic device installation (T0); at baseline (T1); and 30 (T2), 60 (T3), and 90 (T4) days after randomisation. Significant differences were evaluated using Student t test and multilevel logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Although no significant difference could be observed, VPI at T1 and T2 were lower for volunteers in the experimental group (33.20 ± 19.29; 32.10 ± 7.72) than for the volunteers in the control group (42.11 ± 8.56; 43.59 ± 34.71). The same was observed for GBI, in which volunteers in the experimental group presented lower GBI at T1 and T2 (12.70 ± 8.10; 13.72 ± 7.39) than volunteers in the control group (27.53 ± 17.89; 20.38 ± 9.95). Good acceptance for using the app was shown by volunteers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows the potential utility of the mobile app for improving the OH of adolescents.

Does motivation via a smartphone application improve oral hygiene in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment?

DESIGN

This is a randomized cohort study.

COHORT SELECTION

The inclusion criteria comprised patients aged 14-19 years who started their orthodontic treatment using fixed appliances at the Orthodontic Clinic at Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul, San Paulo, Brazil. Only patients who had smartphones were included in this study. The exclusion criteria comprised patients who had previous orthodontic treatment, presence of any oral pathology, and chronic use of analgesic medication or presence of syndromes. Included patients were randomized to two groups (control and experimental).

DATA ANALYSIS

The oral hygiene of the included patients was evaluated clinically at five points in time: before bonding fixed orthodontic appliance (T0), immediately after randomization (T1), at 30 days after the beginning of the intervention (T2), at 60 days after the beginning of the intervention (T3), and at 90 days after the beginning of the intervention (T4). Oral hygiene was assessed using visual plaque index (VPI) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) at six sites of all teeth in every arch excluding third molars. Prior to the intervention, all patients who participated in this study underwent an oral hygiene session aimed to obtain a plaque index equal to zero and were given standardized oral hygiene instructions. Patients included in the control group were not given any structured oral hygiene follow-up in addition to the standard follow-up already established at the orthodontic clinic. Patients in the experimental group were instructed to install an application (A Dentista Cientista) that was designed especially for this study on their smartphones. This application aimed to guide and motivate patients daily in a playful way about performing oral hygiene practices. The application reminded the patients to perform their oral hygiene through an alarm.

RESULTS

A total of 11 patients were screened for study eligibility; 3 patients were excluded from the study. Eight patients were included in this study, four patients in each group. Although VPI and GBI values were reduced at T1 and T2 in the experimental group, there were no statistically significant differences for VPI and GBI between the groups at any time evaluated (P > 0.05). The patients who were included in the experimental group reported a good acceptability of the application and they would recommend it to other people. In addition, the patients who were included in the experimental group agreed that oral hygiene is crucial and 75% of them agreed that the application encouraged them to take better care of their oral health.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that mobile applications might help in improving the oral hygiene of orthodontic adolescent patients.

Analysis of the patient’s experiences on the related instagram posts about the orthodontic treatment

Objectives:

The study aimed to comparatively evaluate the patients’ experiences with these treatments by analyzing the contents of the posts shared by the patients with clear aligner and fixed orthodontic treatment (FOT).

Material and Methods:

To reach the treatment methods, the hashtags “braces” for FOT and “aligner” for clear aligner treatment (CAT) were used in the Instagram search engine. To reach objective patient evaluations, clinicians’ posts, company posts, and influencers’ posts containing advertisements and collaborations were eliminated and direct patient posts were considered. Seventy-nine posts were included in the FOT group and 52 posts in the CAT group. The posts were evaluated comparatively in terms of the number of likes, followers of the profiles, comments and content, the gender of the patients, and the treatment stage.

Results:

According to the results of the analysis, although the number of followers, likes, comments, and positive and neutral comments were higher in favor of the aligner group between the FOT and CAT groups, the rate of likes/followers was found to be higher in favor of the fixed treatment group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Considering the literature, although studies on CATs on social media are limited, this media is seen as an effective factor in the treatment decision-making process of patients. While the most negative comments of individuals in fixed treatment were psychological effects, the most criticized issue in CAT was treatment fees.

What do TikTok videos offer us about dental implants treatment?

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the quality, source, popularity, visibility and reliability of Tiktok videos on dental implants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A Tiktok search for dental implants was performed English language setting. Search hashtags were determined as "#dentalimplants," "#dentalimplantsurgery," "#dentalimplantstreatment," and "#implantdentistry." 148 of the 300 videos watched were included the study. Two periodontologists scored the videos for quality, reliability, utility, visibility and popularity. Videos' quality was evaluated using the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and the DISCERN tools, by categorizing them through quality of communication, duration, likes and dislikes, views, source and video type of each video were recorded.

RESULTS

There was significant positive correlation between "GQS" and "Total DISCERN" (Rho: 0.636) and "Duration in seconds" (Rho: 0.343) (p<0.05). For Total DISCERN, averages of the 31-45 seconds (p=0.010) and 46 seconds and above (p=.018) groups were higher than the averages of the 0-15 seconds group and average of the Educational group was higher than the average of the Testimonial, Product Advertisement and Entertainment groups (p=0.001, p=0.033 and p=0.041). Healthcare professionals mostly upload GQS 2 score videos and Hospital/Universities mostly upload GQS 2 and 3 score videos (p<0.05). Testimonial videos mostly receive GQS2 score videos and the 'Videos rich in supplementary visuals' quality also receives the most GQS4 score videos (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study demonstrate that TikTok videos provide low to moderate quality information about dental implants and that TikTok may not provide reliable information about dental implants.

Orthodontics in an online community: A computational analysis of r/Braces subreddit

BACKROUND

This study aimed to analyze the semantic network and content analyses of the posts published in a subreddit related to orthodontic treatment on Reddit (Advance Publications, Inc., San Francisco, California).

METHODS

The eight threads in the r/Braces subreddit were divided into two categories: 1) "treatment process" (Braces are off!!!, Braces progress, Before and after!, and Day 1!) and 2) "question/problem" (Question, Discussion!, Need advice! and Rant!). For both categories, a semantic network analysis was performed using the Leximancer software (Leximancer Pty Ltd., Brisbane, Australia). In addition, the quality of the posts published in the "question" thread and the usefulness of the replies provided to these questions (useful, misleading, or neutral) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Seven themes (braces, teeth, months, day, worth, started, and result) that mostly emphasized orthodontic treatment and treatment duration were elicited from the "treatment process" category, and seven themes (teeth, orthodontist, braces, week, bands, brush, and extractions) that mostly emphasized orthodontic treatment, orthodontists, and time were elicited from the "question/problem" category. It was also revealed that users voted on the posts related to the "treatment process" category and moved the posts to the list of top posts on the platform. In the "question" thread, 47.79% of the posts asked for advice and 21.11% of them were related to failures. In addition, 69% of the replies were categorized as "useful."

CONCLUSIONS

Reddit is a successful data mining platform, and the users provide highly useful replies to the questions posted on Reddit regarding orthodontic treatment.

A qualitative evaluation of attitudes toward extractions among primary care orthodontists in Great Britain

INTRODUCTION

The need to extract permanent teeth as part of orthodontic treatment has been keenly debated over many decades. Changes in the frequency of extraction have been well documented; however, we continue to lack an understanding of what influences clinicians' decisions regarding extracting permanent teeth.

METHODS

Purposive sampling was undertaken to obtain representative views from primary care practitioners across Great Britain with a range of experience representing genders and wide geographic distribution. Twenty participants (9 female, 11 male) took part in in-depth, qualitative, 1-to-1 interviews based on a piloted topic guide. Interviews were conducted via video conferencing software with audio recording and verbatim transcription. Thematic analysis was performed with discussion and agreement to identify the main themes.

RESULTS

Five main themes were identified: (1) patient-related factors, such as age and features of the malocclusion, (2) operator factors, including the level of experience, (3) setting, with regard to geographic location and method of remuneration, (4) mechanical approaches, including variations in appliance systems; and (5) self-directed ongoing education, including both formal continuing professional development and informal learning from peers. These factors acted as barriers, enablers, or both in relation to nonextraction treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Five key influences on extraction decisions among orthodontists in Great Britain were identified. Extraction choices appear to be influenced by various interrelated factors, evolving over time and with increased experience.

Is the information about orthodontics on Youtube and TikTok reliable for the oral health of the public? A cross sectional comparative study

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare orthodontic videos uploaded to YouTube and TikTok, the two most popular video sharing platforms, and to determine which of these platforms has more reliable and higher quality videos.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

YouTube (www.YouTube.com) and Tiktok (www.tiktok.com) was searched for two search-terms: "Orthodontics" and "Orthodontic Treatment". Reliability and quality of the first 120 videos for each search-term was evaluated by social media video content evaluation tools: Global Quality Score (GQS) and Reliability Score (modified DISCERN tool).

RESULTS

While YouTube videos were more informative or sharing patient experiences, TikTok videos were almost purely entertainment oriented. Tiktok videos had lower reliability. YouTube videos were rated of higher quality than Tiktok videos. GQS mean values for Youtube and TikTok were 2.90 ± 1.35 and 2.23 ± 1.08 respectively; and reliability (DISCERN) values were 2.42 ± 1.70 and 1.27 ± 1.48 respectively. GQS median values for Youtube and TikTok were 3 and 2 respectively; and reliability (DISCERN) values were 2 and 1 respectively. Most of the uploaders in both platforms were professionals.

CONCLUSION

Neither YouTube videos nor Tiktok videos were found to be reliable or of good quality. Videos on YouTube were higher quality and more reliable than videos on TikTok. However, YouTube videos also contained unreliable information.

Assessment of Indonesian-Language Orthodontics-Related YouTube Video as a Source of Information

OBJECTIVES

 Health-seeking behavior through social media including orthodontics treatment has become popular among community in Indonesia. However, the characteristics of uploaded video in term of quality, reliability, and usefulness are unknown. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of Indonesian-language orthodontic-related YouTube videos uploaded.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 This study adopted cross-sectional design and analyzed 300 videos as the sample. A final 100 related videos were included for analysis of the quality, usefulness, and reliability of the video uploaded as well as viewers' interaction in term of popularity and visibility. Mann-Whitney's test was used for the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

 The majority of the videos were uploaded by individual users (60%) with moderate quality, usefulness, and reliability. Statistical analysis showed that orthodontics-related YouTube videos uploaded by individuals have lower popularity and reliability compared with health professional (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

 Most of the Indonesian-language orthodontic-related YouTube videos have moderate quality, usefulness, and reliability. There is a need from health professional to contribute more related video as main source of health information for the general to make healthy health-seeking behavior.

YouTube as an information and education source for early orthodontic treatment

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to evaluate the content, reliability, and quality of YouTube videos for early orthodontic treatment.

METHODS

YouTube video searches were carried out using the keyword "early orthodontic treatment," which was determined using Google Trends. After sorting according to relevance, the first 120 videos were observed, and 61 videos were analyzed accordingly. Further, the general characteristics, uploader source, reliability score (RS), global quality scale (GQS), video information quality index, audiovisual quality, viewers' interaction index, viewing rate, and total information content score (TCS) data belonging to these videos were analyzed. Based on their reliability scores, videos were divided into 2 main groups (low and medium/high information content) accordingly.

RESULTS

It was found that 25 (41%) of the videos had medium/high information content, and 36 (59%) had low information content, respectively. Videos with medium/high information content were found to have long video durations, increased comments, and high TCS, GQS, RS, and video information quality index scores (P <0.05). The videos uploaded by doctors had increased comments, long duration, and high TCS, GQS, and RS scores (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The quality of the information provided by YouTube videos on early orthodontic treatment was generally insufficient. In addition, the information quality was high for videos uploaded by doctors.

Information and Communications Technology in Dentistry: an informative and educational approach for patients with fixed orthodontic appliances

Objective:

To develop and make available, at no cost to the user, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools for Dentistry, providing dental information and advice geared toward patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

Material and Methods:

A Dentistry-based content that contemplated information and advice concerning orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances was elaborated. The materials, which included instructions on oral hygiene and treatment strategies when faced with possible complications, were evaluated and validated by specialists, whose assessments reached a 85% approval. From the validated content, products using four distinct ICT tools were formulated.

Results:

The following technological products were developed: a program for community radios, three blog posts, four educational and informative videos, and a smartphone application - using texts, as well as images and videos. These ICT tools, geared toward patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances, were made available by internet at no cost to the user, and the number of accesses is already expressive.

Conclusion:

These technological-scientific tools, developed and provided freely to the population, can aid patients during their treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances, contributing to the dissemination of reliable information, and clarifying doubts that may arise during orthodontic therapy. These free ICT tools serve to facilitate access to scientific knowledge, thereby favoring social inclusion, bearing in mind that this educational and informative material was offered in a simple and accessible manner to the general population.

A comparison of patient testimonials on YouTube of the most common orthodontic treatment modalities: Braces, in-office aligners, and direct-to-consumer aligners

INTRODUCTION

The aims of this study were to (1) investigate and compare the educational value of the most popular YouTube (www.youtube.com; Google, San Bruno, Calif) orthodontic patient testimonials between braces, in-office aligners (IOA), and direct-to-consumer aligners (DTCA), and (2) classify the emotional response of the viewers through sentiment analysis of the video comments.

METHODS

Three different phrases relevant to braces, IOA, and DTCA were searched on YouTube. The 20 most popular patient testimonial videos meeting the criteria for each group were selected for a total of 60 videos. Using the YouTube application program interface for each video, 13 video metrics were extracted. An information completeness score was assigned, and the video comments were analyzed using sentiment analysis software.

RESULTS

The 60 videos included were viewed 34.4 million times by internet users. Braces videos had significantly more likes, comments, and a higher viewer interaction score than the IOA and DTCA videos. IOA videos had a higher median information completeness score than braces and DTCA videos. Of the 5149 video comments with polarity, 53.6% were positive, and 46.4% were negative (P <0.0001). There was no significant association between the treatment modality and positive or negative comments (P = 0.5679).

CONCLUSIONS

There is high user engagement on YouTube with orthodontic patient testimonials. YouTube users interact with braces patient testimonials the most. YouTube viewers' comments on orthodontic patient testimonials express more positive sentiment than negative sentiment. There was no significant difference in positive and negative sentiment between the video comments for the 3 different treatment modalities.

YouTube as a source of information about pulpotomy and pulp capping: a cross sectional reliability analysis

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to critically evaluate the quality, reliability and educational content of the information of vital pulp treatment videos available on YouTube.

Materials and Methods

The keywords “pulpotomy” and “pulp capping” were searched on YouTube on 5th July 2020, until 60 English language videos of each search term with a duration shorter than 15 minutes were acquired. Video characteristics were recorded and Video Power Index (VPI) was calculated. Reliability and educational quality of videos were evaluated using the Modified DISCERN score, the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria and Global Quality Scores (GQS). Videos were categorized by uploading source.

Results

Regarding pulpotomy, 31.7% of the videos were uploaded by specialists and 68.3% were directed by non-specialists. In the case of pulp capping, the corresponding percentages were 45% and 55%, respectively. Videos uploaded by specialists had significantly higher modified DISCERN, JAMA and GQS scores compared to those uploaded by non-specialists. Endodontists tended to have the highest reliability and VPI scores.

Conclusions

YouTube videos on vital pulp treatment contain low educational quality or incomplete information. Low popularity of dental pulp capping and pulpotomy videos may be attributed to the specialized nature of these procedures. As YouTube represents an important source for patient information about different health topics, reliable informative videos should be uploaded by specialized dental professionals.

Effects of remote digital monitoring on oral hygiene of orthodontic patients: a prospective study

Background

Remote digital monitoring during orthodontic treatment can help patients in improving their oral hygiene performance and reducing the number of appointments due to emergency reasons, especially in time of COVID-19 pandemic where non-urgent appointments might be discouraged.

Methods

Thirty patients scheduled to start an orthodontic treatment were divided into two groups of fifteen. Compared to controls, study group patients were provided with scan box and cheek retractor (Dental Monitoring®) and were instructed to take monthly intra-oral scans. Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), and White Spot Lesions (WSL) were recorded for both groups at baseline (t₀), every month for the first 3 months (t₁, t₂, t₃), and at 6 months (t₄). Carious Lesions Onset (CLO) and Emergency Appointments (EA) were also recorded during the observation period. Inter-group differences were assessed with Student's t test and Chi-square test, intra-group differences were assessed with Cochran’s Q-test (significance α = 0.05).

Results

Study group patients showed a significant improvement in plaque control at t₃ (p = 0.010) and t₄ (p = 0.039), compared to control group. No significant difference was observed in the number of WSL between the two groups. No cavities were detected in the study group, while five CLO were diagnosed in the control group (p = 0.049). A decreased number of EA was observed in the study group, but the difference was not significant.

Conclusions

Integration of a remote monitoring system during orthodontic treatment was effective in improving plaque control and reducing carious lesions onset. The present findings encourage orthodontists to consider this technology to help maintaining optimal oral health of patients, especially in times of health emergency crisis.

YouTube as a Source of Information for Craniofacial Distraction Osteogenesis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the content and quality of YouTube videos about distraction osteogenesis (DO) in the craniofacial region.

METHODS

The term "distraction osteogenesis" was searched on YouTube. After sorting by relevance, 80 videos were selected from 128 search results for analysis of general characteristics, primary purpose, information reliability, audiovisual quality, global quality scale (GQS), and viewers' interaction index. Viewing rate formulae were calculated for each YouTube video. The Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

We classified 22 (27.5%) of the 80 videos as moderate/high-content and 58 (72.5%) as low-content. Most YouTube videos about DO were uploaded by doctors (45%) and information about DO was the most covered topic (61%). Videos from commercial companies had significantly higher GQS scores than videos uploaded by other groups (P = 0.040). In low-information content videos, GQS was highly correlated with the number of likes, whereas in moderate/high-content videos it was highly correlated with viewing rates.

CONCLUSIONS

YouTube is insufficient source of information about DO and academic institutions have more responsibility in developing this situation and directing patients to reliable social media or Internet sources.