Temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis videos on YouTube: Are they a good source of information?

YouTube has been increasingly used as a source of information by patients in the field of health, but many studies revealed poor information quality. This study evaluated the content and quality of YouTube videos on Temporomandibular Joint Arthrocentesis (TMJA) as an information resource for patients.

YouTube search with the two keywords "temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis" and "temporomandibular joint lavage" was performed. The first 160 videos were listed for each term according to relevancy. Results were assessed for inclusion and categorized for source, purpose, target, arthrocentesis method described, and the narrator of the videos. An evaluation was performed independently by two oral and maxillofacial surgeons. The quality of videos was analyzed for the content and defined as poor, moderate, and excellent. DISCERN was also performed by scoring between 0 and 5.

A total of 43 videos were evaluated. The most upload source was individual users (46.5%) and the most video upload purpose was information for professionals (37.2%). The method with the most information about was the two-needle technic, which had a rate of 44.2 percent. The average usefulness score of the videos was 3.00 and 57.1% of the videos resulted in poor quality. A statistically significant positive high correlation was found between DISCERN and usefulness scoring (r = 0.793; p < 0.001).

The majority of YouTube videos are of poor quality and this situation affects the patients' decisions about treatment. Health professionals should be aware of the content on YouTube and produce high-quality, accurate, and up-to-date information for patient education.