The Influence of Social Media on Dental Education: Dental Students' Perspectives

In recent years, the field of communication has undergone significant transformations, substantially influencing the education of dental students. This study aims to identify and evaluate these influences in order to contribute to the improvement of current learning and educational methods.

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A semistructured questionnaire was developed, and its validity and reliability were assessed. A total of 112 dental students from the University of Tehran were randomly selected, and the final questionnaire was administered manually. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 25).

Students reported longer durations of use for WhatsApp and Telegram compared to Instagram and YouTube, with Instagram ranking second and YouTube third. These differences were statistically significant (p  < 0.001). Similarly, daily usage was highest for WhatsApp and Telegram, followed by Instagram and YouTube, with a significant difference observed among platforms (p  < 0.001). The influence of educational resources on academic learning was comparable across YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram, with no significant difference detected (p = 0.128). However, all three platforms demonstrated a significantly greater influence than Instagram, which ranked lowest (p  < 0.001).

This study indicates that dental students widely use social media for learning despite its limited integration into formal educational programs, reflecting a generally positive but cautious perspective. While platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram demonstrate a greater influence on academic learning compared to Instagram, a notable proportion of students do not verify the credibility of scientific content encountered online. Integrating guidance on the effective and critical use of social media into educational strategies, particularly on commonly used platforms such as YouTube, may enhance learning quality. Additionally, training students to critically assess online information is essential to optimize virtual learning outcomes.