Learning Clinical Procedures Through Social Media: A Multi-Institutional Study of Preclinical and Clinical Dental...

Social media platforms are increasingly used by dental students to support learning and preparation for clinical procedures. Although previous studies have described general patterns of social media use in dental education, evidence directly comparing preclinical and clinical students remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate how dental students in Turkey use social media for learning clinical procedures and to examine differences associated with clinical experience.

This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among second- to fifth-year dental students enrolled in dentistry faculties across Turkey. A 27-item online questionnaire was distributed through 57 dentistry faculties and explored patterns and purposes of social media use, perceived usefulness and reliability of content, and differences between preclinical and clinical students. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and comparative analyses, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

A total of 2246 dental students participated. Instagram was the most frequently used social media platform, whereas YouTube was the most commonly accessed resource for clinical procedure-related information (85.4%). Although most students perceived social media as a useful learning tool, uncertainty regarding content reliability was common. Significant differences were identified between preclinical and clinical students in terms of purposes of use, platform preferences and approaches to content (p < 0.05). Preclinical students mainly used social media for theoretical learning and to compensate for missed educational activities, while clinical students more frequently used it during preparation before performing clinical procedures for the first time (p < 0.001).

Social media functions as an important supplementary learning resource in dental education; however, its use, perceived reliability and educational purpose differ according to students' level of clinical experience. These findings underline the need for structured, evidence-based educational guidance to support the pedagogically sound integration of digital resources into undergraduate dental education.