YouTube use among dental students for learning clinical procedures: A multi-institutional study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of YouTube as a learning tool for clinical procedures among third- and fourth-year dental students.

A multiple choice survey was distributed through Qualtrics to third- and fourth-year dental students at 5 United States dental schools. Questions pertaining to YouTube use were asked related to the following categories: demographic information, general YouTube use, YouTube use as a tool to learn clinical procedures, YouTube video sharing, and validity. Descriptive and quantitative analyses were performed.

Data were collected in 2019 and 2020 from 479 third- and fourth-year dental students (overall response rate 28.3%). Respondents ranged in age from under 23 to over age 50. Ninety-five percent of respondents considered YouTube videos on clinical procedures to be a helpful learning tool, and 89% would like for their dental school to post tutorials to YouTube/social media. No statistically significant differences were found between dental institutions; however, a statistically significant difference between third- and fourth-year students did exist regarding the frequency of YouTube use. While the use of YouTube as a learning tool for clinical procedures is high, 36% of students are uncertain about the evidence-base of the videos.

As dental students use publicly available resources as adjuncts to the dental curriculum, it is important to analyze the quality of the material accessed. These findings may suggest a need for dental institutions to increase the development of evidence-based instructional videos as a part of their clinical educational curriculums.