273 - How Social Media Effects the Perception of Teeth Whitening

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to assess how exposure to different social media platforms effects pediatric patients and their respective parent or guardian on their perception of teeth whitening.

Methods: A survey was developed. It consisted of 19 questions regarding their personal experience with seeing teeth whitening information on social media and their knowledge on the process, risks, and reliability of said information. Face and content validity were completed by 5 dyads (5 pediatric patients and their associated 5 parent/guardian) and 5 Tufts’ faculty. Once face and content validity surveys were completed. A total of 90 pairs of parent and child were surveyed.

Results: A current majority of children surveyed preferred Tik-Tok and Snapchat, whereas the adults used Facebook mostly. Both saw the most teeth whitening information on YouTube. They also stated that the information they had seen sometimes showed the steps of teeth whitening, but rarely showed the risks. Despite the lack of validation, the interest level of both groups remained the same. This emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the dental patient population are getting peer-reviewed information that explains the benefits and risks of teeth whitening on social media platforms that are popular amongst both groups. A majority of parents stated the main source they use for their child’s dental treatment is the dentist. Limitations of the studies include a lack of patient diversity due to the location of TUDSM. Further studies should explore other ethnicities and races to determine if similar results can be replicated as well as to see if interest levels would remain the same once either group is shown peer-reviewed content on teeth whitening.