IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON ORAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND TREATMENT KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

Objective:
To assess the impact of social media on oral health awareness and treatment knowledge in Pakistan, evaluating its role as an educational tool and its influence on oral hygiene behaviors.
Methodology:
This cross-sectional study was conducted with 110 participants recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected via structured interviews with a bilingual questionnaire covering demographics, oral hygiene practices, social media usage, and oral health knowledge. Statistical analyses examined associations between social media usage and oral health outcomes, including brushing frequency and knowledge levels.
Results:
The participants had a mean age of 38.71 ± 8.56 years, with 61% males and 39% females. Most participants (93.6%) considered oral health as important as physical health, and 85.5% believed poor oral hygiene fosters systemic disease. Social media users (38.2%) demonstrated better brushing practices, with after-meal brushing reported only by users (11.9%, p=0.002). However, no significant difference in oral health knowledge was found between users and non-users (p=0.633). Among users, Google (69%) and YouTube (19%) were the primary sources, but 43.6% expressed doubts about the reliability of online information.
Conclusion:
This suggests that social media can be used innovatively to improve oral health awareness and behaviors in Pakistan. Although social media is still not widely used, it has an effect mainly on practices such as brushing behavior. However, misinformation and doubts about the reliability of online information present challenges. Targeted interventions, culturally relevant content, and enhanced digital health literacy are essential to maximize social media's role in bridging knowledge gaps and promoting preventive oral health practices.
Keywords:
Oral health awareness, Oral hygiene behaviors, Social media, Treatment knowledge