Problematic Social Media Use and Self-Perception of Dental Aesthetics in Adolescents: Associations with Body Esteem,...

Body esteem and self-perceived dental aesthetics play an important role in adolescents' psychosocial well-being. Problematic social media use may be associated with greater comparison with idealised aesthetic standards. However, evidence regarding the association between problematic social media use, body esteem, and self-perceived dental aesthetics remains limited.

The aims of this study were to examine the associations among problematic social media use, body esteem, social anxiety and self-perceived dental aesthetics in adolescents and to evaluate the roles that Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Body Mass Index (BMI), and gender play in these relationships.

This cross-sectional study included 393 adolescents aged 13-18 years. They were asked to complete the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMD), body esteem (BESAA), self-perceived dental aesthetics (PIDAQ), and fear of negative evaluation (FNE) questionnaires, and BMI was calculated. Multiple linear regression and gender moderation analyses were performed.

Problematic social media use was significantly associated with lower body esteem (r = -0.165, p =0.013) and poorer dental self-image (r =0.288, p <0.001). In the final regression model, FNE (β = -0.429, p <0.001) and BMI (β = -0.332, p <0.001) were significant predictors of lower body esteem, whereas problematic social media use was no longer significant (β = -0.066, p =0.267). The final model explained 29.6% of the variance in body esteem. Gender significantly moderated the relationship between problematic social media use and dental self-image (p =0.05). Among females, problematic social media use predicted higher PIDAQ scores (b = 2.99, p <0.001), whereas this relationship was not significant among males (b = 0.53, p =0.62).

Problematic social media use was associated with poorer dental self-image, particularly among females, whereas body esteem was mainly associated with FNE and BMI. These findings suggest that psychosocial factors and the digital environment may play a relevant role in adolescents' psychosocial well-being and oral health.