Title : WisdomTeeth: Has the prominence of newer social media platforms increased the reliability of wisdom tooth related content
Abstract:
Aim: Social media remains an ever-popular method of information sharing and communication. In 2020 “#wisdomteeth: an analysis of 100 social media post and a survey of patient perceptions” was published in the British Dental Journal. Six (6) years on, this study aims to act as an update reflecting the landscape of social media platforms today.
Method: The top 100 posts returned from a search of #wisdomteeth on Instagram and TikTok were identified over a three (3) month period and subsequently analysed by a single reviewer.
Results: 89% of 2026 Instagram posts were from dentist/professional accounts vs 51% in 2020. TikTok 2026 40% patient/public-authored vs only 11% on Instagram 2026. Healthcare advice as leading professional-post category on both platforms. AI-generated/animated content was a new analysed category. Six years on, patient identification continues to be an issue, an area of contention regarding GDC guidelines. TikTok's patient contributions dwarf Instagram's, consistent with post-operative opinions, which tended to skew negative. On both sites, findings showed a range of content from healthcare advice to misinformation. It is important for the dental profession to be aware of this, as this is the climate in which we treat our patients.
