Insights on Using Social Media in Dental Education: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the insight of utilizing social media as an educational tool among dental faculty members in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was distributed to 380 randomly selected faculty members from three governmental universities in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. The participants completed a validated questionnaire to assess the intent of using social media and their opinion about the benefits and drawbacks of adopting social media as an educational tool. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to analyse the results. Results: Out of 380 faculty members who were invited to participate, 271 responded (71% response rate). Results reveal that WhatsApp, followed by YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were the mostly used social media platforms. Around 31% of the participants reported using social media for ten hours or more. The main reason reported by the participants for using social media was searching for information (82.17%), followed by professional networking (78.29%) and learning (75.97%). The majority of the participants agreed that social media have advantages like it helps students to communicate and share ideas with instructors, update students with new resources, and improve students’ skills. Social media also has several disadvantages; the respondents believe that it can increase their addictive potential, create more demand for internet access, and raise concerns on direct contact with students. Conclusion: As an educational tool, social media can enrich the teaching experience by using the appropriate strategies. The findings may be useful for educators to adopt social media platforms in dental education.

Factor analysis of risk perceptions of using digital and social media in dental education and profession

“…3,18 The final perceived risk factor was related to the time spent on DSM and is supported by existing literature. 38,39 With regard to the validity and reliability of the extracted factors, each factor was represented by items loading ≥0.5, which confirmed their validity. 20 Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.6 to 0.8, which supported the reliability of the factors.…”

Evaluation of Social Media Usage by Dental Practitioners of Pakistan for Professional Purposes – A Cross-Sectional Study

“…These findings correspond with a study in the literature that states the benefits of social media such as improving communication and sharing ideas and knowledge. 16 In our study, dentists did prefer using social media to buy and/or sell dental equipment. These findings have also been concluded in a study by Gadish et al where dental offices have been reported to switch to online purchasing of dental supplies and equipment.…”

An Evaluation of the Usefulness of YouTube® Videos on Crown Preparation

“…The negative remarks on the videos were mostly addressed to further improve the quality and to use accurate and relevant keywords for search of the video [ 22 , 25 ], whereas the positive remarks mentioned about the quality of knowledge and information provided, clarity, and presentation skills [ 22 , 25 ]. Recently, due to the pandemic, there has been a shift towards digital learning and increased use of the internet and specifically YouTube to acquire knowledge and learn skills [ 13 , 22 ]. The goal of delivering knowledge online is attainable, given that all the dental professionals and specialists make efforts to provide improved quality content and information for the students [ 13 , 22 ].…”

“…Recently, due to the pandemic, there has been a shift towards digital learning and increased use of the internet and specifically YouTube to acquire knowledge and learn skills [ 13 , 22 ]. The goal of delivering knowledge online is attainable, given that all the dental professionals and specialists make efforts to provide improved quality content and information for the students [ 13 , 22 ].…”

“…This does not require the physical attendance at institutes, thus reducing the chances of transmission of infection [ 8 , 12 ]. In certain forms, internet-based education aids in self-learning among students and further modifies their approach for knowledge acquisition [ 8 , 13 , 14 ].…”