TikTok and social media can be an effective tool for dental professionals to promote oral health, according to research from the California Dental Association.
Research published in the CDA Journal analyzed more than 1,500 videos tagged with #dentist and shared on TikTok over a three-month period, finding that the content had very high levels of engagement, according to a Sept. 17 news release.
The authors used a qualitative codebook in their analysis of the data, including validity, narrative reliability, video production and video sentiment.
The study revealed that more than three-quarters of the videos with the dentist hashtag were posted by dental professionals. Videos posted by dental professionals received more views and engagement than dental videos posted by non-dental professionals.
The quality of information conveyed in the videos varied but was qualified as low to moderate quality. Due to the high engagement, there is an opportunity for dental professionals to post higher-quality, evidence-based dental health videos on the platform to improve the public's oral health knowledge, according to researchers.
Read the full study here.