Bahar Melis AKYILDIZ, Rana BİLİCİ KÖSE, Zeynep UÇAR, Eda ODABAŞ, Ayşe TAŞ
Meandros Medical and Dental Journal - 2026;27(1):49-57
Objective: To evaluate how social media influences parents' knowledge and attitudes regarding children's oral health and their treatment-related decision-making in pediatric dentistry, and to explore parents' perceptions of pediatric dentists' professional social media content, including differences between public-hospital and private-clinic attendees. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents of children aged 0-15 years attending public hospitals and private pediatric dentistry clinics in Aydın, Türkiye. Data were collected using a 25-item questionnaire comprising four sections on sociodemographic characteristics, social media use, online behaviors, and perceptions of pediatric dentists' social media content. Analyses were performed using SPSS 19.0, with descriptive statistics reported as frequencies and percentages, and categorical variables compared using chi-square tests with Bonferroni correction (p<0.05). Results: A total of 252 participants who answered the questionnaire completely were included. The most frequent social media applications for children's oral and dental health are respectively Instagram (46.8%), YouTube (31.0%), and Facebook (15.5%). While 55.6% considered reviewing social media before treatment important, only 15.5% reported a direct influence on treatment decisions. Three-quarters (75.0%) supported pediatric dentists maintaining professional accounts, and social media following was significantly higher among private clinic attendees (p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, most parents used social media, with higher engagement among private-clinic attendees. Social media served as a supplementary channel with limited influence on treatment decisions. Professional account use by pediatric dentists may enhance awareness, although causal effects require longitudinal research.
