Exploring Adult Orthodontic Trends on Instagram: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study of Content, Engagement, and...

This study aimed to evaluate the account credentials and content of the top-performing Instagram posts shared publicly about adult orthodontics.

A new Instagram account was created and screened manually for this cross-sectional web-based study on March 13, 2024 by using five adult-orthodontics related hashtags. Data was analyzed for post format, content, credentials, role, and engagement level ratio. Unrelated and duplicate posts were excluded from the study. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and comparisons were performed by using the Pearson's Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test (p=0.05). This study was exempted from approval by the Institutional Research Committee (IRC) due to the use of publicly available data.

A total of 191,714 posts mentioned the selected hashtags of which top 50 posts were screened in this study. Most of the posts were posted by orthodontists (48%) followed by patients (44%) and other specialists, general dentists, dental lab, and company combined (8%). Most of the posts were in the form of pictures (82%), self-promotional (76%), and used for marketing purposes by orthodontists (89.5%). The most liked videos (7615 likes) were posted by a patient sharing their experience and had an engagement rate of 4.18%.

By leveraging publicly available data, this research provides a foundational understanding of how Instagram serves as a platform for information dissemination and marketing within the field of adult orthodontics. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of digital communication dynamics and underscore the potential of social media platforms for enhancing patient education and professional networking in orthodontic care.

This study explored the impact of social media on adult orthodontics by analyzing Instagram posts related to orthodontic treatments, highlighting the diversity of both authors and content. Strengthening the presence of dental professionals on social media platforms could significantly boost the quality and reach of educational content about adult orthodontics, empowering patients with better information and raising awareness about available treatment options.