Social media analysis of the nature of shared online content for orthodontic functional appliances: An observational study

Introduction: Increased smartphone accessibility has enhanced the speed and diversity of the dissemination of data, ideas, and thoughts. Notably, patients often turn to social media platforms to gather information on treatment options, share personal experiences, offer opinions, and choose the best health-care providers. Social media has been employed to distribute health information. Aims: This study aimed to analyze the content regarding orthodontic functional appliances posted on various social media platforms. Materials and Methods: The study analyzed content posted in August 2020 on four social media sites, namely, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit, focusing on terms related to orthodontic functional appliances. Data from the first 100 posts per keyword were collected and then recorded and coded in spreadsheets. Descriptive and statistical analyses were performed to elucidate the nature of the posted content. Results and Discussion: A total of 1204 posts were included in the study. Of these, 29.8.2% were photos and 51.8% were videos. Majority of the posts (65.3%) were about information sharing and uploaded by doctors (51.2%). The type of malocclusion was described as Class II in 18.4% of the posts but not specified in 72.8%. The overall usefulness of the posts was low. Posts of photos, posts on Instagram, and posts by doctors were found to be more significantly useful (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Patients, doctors, and academics extensively use social media platforms to disseminate orthodontic information. However, more useful posts on orthodontic functional appliances should be uploaded, including those on treatment effectiveness, patient experience, and patient–clinician relationships, which have been widely disregarded.