Social media has become a widely used and accessible source of health-related information for patients young and old. But is this material always accurate or even appropriate? Today on the blog we're taking a research-based look at whether the information you may be consuming on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok about dental related topics is helping or hurting your understanding of your own body. Specifically, let's look at orthodontic information across social media platforms.
Reliability of Social Media Information
The peer-reviewed Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is widely accepted by dental professionals as being the nation's premier dental journal and a leading, reliable source of quality information on current dental medicine. This month, the JADA published a systematic review to evaluate the quality of orthodontic information on two of the most popular social media platforms.
The authors conducted a systematic search of the literature that analyzed information regarding orthodontics on social networks, then used recognized quality-evaluation methods. Of the hundreds of sources the authors reviewed, you might be able to guess that they concluded most of the content was of insufficient quality and lacked "scientific rigor, precision, and support" from reliable sources. One of the largest sources of orthodontic misinformation? Content regarding the topic of clear aligners like Invisalign.
Practical Implications
Implicated by this study is the practical concept that social media platforms overall provide low-quality healthcare information to patients, which has the potential to be harmful. These findings also underscore the importance of promoting informed and responsible education to patients before and during treatment, by professionals who are qualified to offer this guidance.
Dr. Messina is one such qualified professional. As a licensed dentist with over two years of postgraduate training in orthodontic treatment modalities such as Invisalign, she is qualified to evaluate your dentition, answer questions you may have about orthodontic or dental treatment, and make an appropriate referral if our office is not the right fit for the parameters of your care.
Get Off Instagram and Come Ask the Dental Team You Trust
The internet is an unregulated environment in which information that is inaccurate, misleading, or false can be uploaded and shared by anyone at any time. But like the field of dentistry in general, the subject of orthodontics requires specialized knowledge and experience to provide accurate and reliable information about available treatments and specific recommendations for each mouth. You'll find this expert level of analysis and care at Dr. Messina's practice, and our team looks forward to partnering with you for all your oral healthcare needs.
Give us a call at (303) 666-4260 or stop on by our practice in Louisville, Colorado and it will be our pleasure to care for you!
We write a blog post every month to keep our patients and our community updated on important dental topics, so be sure to check back here often! And don't forget: we love your questions! We welcome discussion of these blog topics or anything you're curious about. Our patient family is the best part of our practice, and we are grateful for you!