Bruxism treatment on Youtube: evaluating reliability and information accuracy

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Medical Education
• Patient Information Dissemination

Background:

• YouTube is a primary source of health information for patients.
• Evaluating the quality of online health content is crucial for patient safety.
• Bruxism treatments are widely searched for on video platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the content and quality of YouTube videos discussing bruxism treatments.
• To identify the characteristics of high-quality bruxism treatment videos.
• To understand patient engagement with different types of bruxism video content.

Main Methods:

• Searched YouTube for "bruxism treatment" and "teeth grinding treatment".
• Analyzed 139 videos using usefulness scores and the modified DISCERN tool.
• Categorized videos by upload source, audience, type, and recorded treatment information.

Main Results:

• 59% of videos were poor-quality, 36.7% moderate, and 4.3% excellent.
• Poor-quality videos had significantly lower DISCERN scores.
• Videos by physiotherapists showed higher engagement (views, likes, comments) than other professionals.

Conclusions:

• The majority of YouTube videos on bruxism treatments lack comprehensive information.
• Professional-produced videos often contain limited content, potentially misleading patients.
• Healthcare providers should guide patients toward credible sources for bruxism treatment information.