Evaluation of the Quality and Reliability of Gingival Recession-Related Content on YouTube and TikTok
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/efhxqh81Keywords:
Gingival recession; Discern; Global quality scale; Social media; Youtube; Tiktok.Abstract
This study evaluated the quality and reliability of information about gingival recession on YouTube and TikTok, and compared videos across platforms. Videos uploaded between December 2017 and December 2022 were searched and screened on January 13, 2023, yielding 1,882 videos of which 248 met the inclusion criteria (YouTube: 175, TikTok: 73). Videos were assessed for scientific credibility, information quality, and popularity using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), DISCERN, and JAMA benchmarks. Visual content richness, duration, likes, dislikes, views, sources, and video types were also recorded. Overall, the information quality was low to medium. YouTube videos had higher GQS (2.55) and DISCERN (1.88) scores than TikTok videos (1.92; 1.42) (p<0.05). Periodontologist videos showed significantly better visual content richness on YouTube (p<0.001), while no difference was observed on TikTok (p=0.111). TikTok videos had higher view rates (440.5 vs. 174.9; p<0.05), but YouTube videos were longer (p<0.001). Across both platforms, specialist-uploaded videos achieved significantly higher GQS and DISCERN scores than other sources (p<0.005). YouTube and TikTok provide accessible but overall low to medium-quality information on gingival recession, with frequent unreliability regarding causes and treatment. Patients should be encouraged to approach such content critically and prioritize information from verified professional sources.
Downloads
References
Imber J.-C., Kasaj A. Treatment of gingival recession: when and how? International dental journal. 2021; 71 (3): 178-87.
Dias J.J., Panwar M., Kosala M. Management of inadequate keratinized gingiva and millers class III or IV gingival recession using two-stage free gingival graft procedure. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology. 2020; 24 (6): 554-9.
Cairo F. Periodontal plastic surgery of gingival recessions at single and multiple teeth. Periodontology 2000. 2017; 75 (1): 296-316.
Albandar J.M., Kingman A. Gingival recession, gingival bleeding, and dental calculus in adults 30 years of age and older in the United States, 1988-1994. Journal of periodontology. 1999; 70 (1): 30-43.
Addy M., Mostafa P., Newcombe R. Dentine hypersensitivity: the distribution of recession, sensitivity and plaque. Journal of dentistry. 1987; 15 (6): 242-8.
Hanham A., Addy M. The effect of chewing sugar-free gum on plaque regrowth at smooth and occlusal surfaces. Journal of clinical periodontology. 2001; 28 (3): 255-7.
Kassab M.M., Cohen R.E. The etiology and prevalence of gingival recession. The journal of the American dental association. 2003; 134 (2): 220-5.
de Oliveira Júnior A.J., Oliveira J.M., Bretz Y.P., Mialhe F.L. Online social networks for prevention and promotion of oral health: a systematic review. Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene. 2023; 57 (2): 83.
Carrie K., Bridges S.M., Srinivasan D.P., Cheng B.S. Social media in adolescent health literacy education: a pilot study. JMIR research protocols. 2015; 4 (1): e3285.
Merijohn G.K. Management and prevention of gingival recession. Periodontology 2000. 2016; 71 (1): 228-42.
Passos K.K.M., da Silva Leonel A.C.L., Bonan P.R.F., de Castro J.F.L., dos Anjos Pontual M.L., de Moraes Ramos-Perez F.M., et al. Quality of information about oral cancer in Brazilian Portuguese available on Google, Youtube, and Instagram. Medicina oral, patologia oral y cirugia bucal. 2020; 25 (3): e346.
Basch C.H., Hillyer G.C., Jaime C. COVID-19 on TikTok: harnessing an emerging social media platform to convey important public health messages. International journal of adolescent medicine and health. 2022; 34 (5): 367-9.
Dewshi C. Dentistry on TikTok-oh no. British Dental Journal. 2021; 231 (7): 379.
Hassona Y., Taimeh D., Marahleh A., Scully C. YouTube as a source of information on mouth (oral) cancer. Oral diseases. 2016; 22 (3): 202-8.
Arslan S., Korkmaz Y.N., Buyuk S.K. Can TikTok provide reliable information about orthodontics for patients? Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet. 2022; 26 (2): 146-56.
Naseer S., Hasan S., Bhuiyan J., Prasad A. Current public trends in the discussion of dry eyes: a cross-sectional analysis of popular content on TikTok. Cureus. 2022; 14 (2).
Charnock D., Shepperd S., Needham G., Gann R. DISCERN: an instrument for judging the quality of written consumer health information on treatment choices. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. 1999; 53 (2): 105-11.
Topsakal K.G., Duran G.S., Görgülü S., Eser Misir S. Is YouTubeTM an adequate source of oral hygiene education for orthodontic patients? International journal of dental hygiene. 2022; 20 (3): 504-11.
Gokcen H.B., Gumussuyu G. A quality analysis of disc herniation videos on YouTube. World neurosurgery. 2019; 124: e799-e804.
Hamdan A.A., Shaqman M., Abu Karaky A., Hassona Y., Bouchard P. Medical reliability of a video-sharing website: The gingival recession model. European Journal of Dental Education. 2019; 23 (2): 175-83.
Zhao Y., Zhang J. Consumer health information seeking in social media: a literature review. Health Information & Libraries Journal. 2017; 34 (4): 268-83.
Antheunis M.L., Tates K., Nieboer T.E. Patients’ and health professionals’ use of social media in health care: motives, barriers and expectations. Patient education and counseling. 2013; 92 (3): 426-31.
Benetoli A., Chen T.F., Aslani P. Consumer health-related activities on social media: exploratory study. Journal of medical Internet research. 2017; 19 (10): e352.
Meriç P., Kılınç D.D. Evaluation of quality and reliability of videos about orthodontics on TikTok (DouYin). APOS Trends Orthod. 2022; 12: 101-7.
Menziletoglu D., Guler A., Isik B. Are YouTube videos related to dental implant useful for patient education? Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2020; 121 (6): 661-4.
Kurian N., Varghese K.G., Daniel S., Varghese V.S., Kaur T., Verma R. Are YouTube videos on complete arch fixed implant-supported prostheses useful for patient education? The Journal of prosthetic dentistry. 2024; 131 (4): 684-8.
Guo J., Yan X., Li S., Van der Walt J., Guan G., Mei L. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of orthodontic-related videos on YouTube. The Angle Orthodontist. 2020; 90 (3): 411-8.
Ustdal G., Guney A.U. YouTube as a source of information about orthodontic clear aligners. The Angle Orthodontist. 2020; 90 (3): 419-24.
Patel R., Chang T., Greysen S.R., Chopra V. Social media use in chronic disease: a systematic review and novel taxonomy. The American journal of medicine. 2015; 128 (12): 1335-50.
Gage-Bouchard E.A., LaValley S., Mollica M., Beaupin L.K. Cancer communication on social media: examining how cancer caregivers use Facebook for cancer-related communication. Cancer nursing. 2017; 40 (4): 332-8.
Loeb S., Sengupta S., Butaney M., Macaluso Jr J.N., Czarniecki S.W., Robbins R., et al. Dissemination of misinformative and biased information about prostate cancer on YouTube. European urology. 2019; 75 (4): 564-7.
Oakley M., Spallek H. Social media in dental education: a call for research and action. Journal of Dental Education. 2012; 76 (3): 279-87.
Graziani F., Karapetsa D., Mardas N., Leow N., Donos N. Surgical treatment of the residual periodontal pocket. Periodontology 2000. 2018; 76 (1): 150-63.
Nieri M., Pini Prato G.P., Giani M., Magnani N., Pagliaro U., Roberto R. Patient perceptions of buccal gingival recessions and requests for treatment. Journal of clinical periodontology. 2013; 40 (7): 707-12.
Paksoy T., Şen S.C., Ustaoğlu G., Bulut D.G. What do TikTok videos offer us about dental implants treatment? Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2023; 124 (1): 101320.
Bernimoulin J.P., Curilović Z. Gingival recession and tooth mobility. Journal of clinical periodontology. 1977; 4 (2): 107-14.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Omercan Aktar, Sadiye Gunpınar, Demet Sahin Aksoy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
ODOVTOS - Int. J. Dent. Sc. endorses CC BY-NC-SA
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
SA: Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
