Is the YouTube™ an useful source of information on oral leukoplakia?

Abstract

ObjectivesYouTube™ has become a widely used source of health information. This cross‐sectional study aimed to analyze the quality of English language videos on oral leukoplakia available on YouTube™.Materials and methodsA YouTube™ search for oral leukoplakia was performed, leading to 1,690 videos. The first 100 results were examined for exclusion criteria, yielding 28 videos. The source, duration, views, likes, and dislikes of each video were recorded. Two oral medicine residents scored the videos for visibility, popularity, quality, utility, and reliability.ResultsVideos were categorized into two groups: independent users or company advertisements (n = 21) and professional organizations or government agencies (n = 5). Analysis showed that, in general, videos were of low quality, usefulness, and reliability. Higher quality videos had more likes (p < .05, Mann–Whitney test). More reliable videos received more likes and presented a higher viewing rate and interaction index (p < .05, Mann–Whitney test).ConclusionsThere are few high‐quality videos about oral leukoplakia on YouTube™. Oral medicine professionals and students should attempt to correct this deficit, as they are the holders of evidence‐based knowledge and clinical experience.

The benefit of “Youtube” in teaching Oral- and Maxillofacial Surgery in dental students

“…[15] Likewise, Ozdal Zincir et al rated the majority (70%) of Youtube videos for patient education of wisdom teeth removal as "not useful". [16] Kovalski et al appeal to professionals and students "to correct (the) de cit" of high quality and evidence-based Youtube videos (addressing oral leucoplakia) [20]. Although students are usually better informed than patients, above mentioned dangers of misinformation do exist also for dental students.…”

YouTube™ and oral lichen planus: an appraisal of the educational quality of information

“…Disagreements between examiners were solved by a third researcher. The usefulness of the videos was classified according to the criteria adapted from Kovalski et al 13 The reliability of the videos was analyzed as described by Singh et al 17 based on five questions. The videos received 1 point for each aspect addressed, according to the presence of the information in the video.…”

“…Recent studies report the use of YouTube™ for patient self-education related to oral health issues, such as burning mouth syndrome, leukoplakia, and oral cancer. 11,12,13 No study has so far addressed the real impact of YouTube™ videos on the diffusion of information about OLP. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and accuracy of the content of YouTube™ videos on OLP for the general population.…”

YouTubeTM as a source of information for Candida auris infection: A systematic review

“…Obviously, the importance and educational value of YouTube TM videos have been underestimated. Several studies have assessed health-related videos on YouTube TM such as oral leukoplakia, Diabetic Foot Care, Botulinum Toxin for Bruxism [11][12][13]. However, given the uncontrollable nature of information sources, there are significant risks associated with poor, incomplete and incorrect health information dissemination [14,15].…”