Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the informational content of posts shared on Instagram using the hashtags #dentalabscess and #toothabscess, with a focus on dental infections. Material and Methods: On December 20, 2024, a total of 600 selected Instagram posts containing the relevant hashtags were reviewed. After excluding posts that did not meet the inclusion criteria, 183 posts were analyzed. Posts were evaluated based on their format (photo/video), uploader type (doctor, patient, other), and informational quality. The content quality was assessed using a scoring scale developed from 8 key topics derived from the American Dental Association's resources. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Fleiss κ test was used to assess interobserver agreement. Results: Among the analyzed posts, 78.1% were photos and 21.9% were videos. Overall, the quality of content was low; however, posts shared by doctors had significantly higher informational scores and engagement metrics (likes, comments, views) compared to other groups (p<0.05). Video posts were found to be more informative and received greater user interaction than photo posts (p<0.05). Conclusion: Content related to dental infections on Instagram generally lacks high-quality information. However, posts shared by doctors and video-format content tend to offer more reliable information. Dentists should be encouraged to take a more active role on social media and contribute with scientifically grounded content, while patients should be guided toward trustworthy online resources.
YILMAZ et al. (Thu,) studied this question.