YouTube as an information source for bleeding gums: A quantitative and qualitative analysis

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 3; p. e0298597
• Main Authors: Wu, Jiali, Li, Danlin, Lin, Minkui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 06.03.2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; Computer and Information Sciences; Diagnosis; Forecasts and trends; Gingivitis; Gum diseases; Information management; Internet videos; Medical advice systems; Medicine and Health Sciences; Social media; China
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298597
• ISSN: 1932-6203

Gum bleeding is a common dental problem, and numerous patients seek health-related information on this topic online. The YouTube website is a popular resource for people searching for medical information. To our knowledge, no recent study has evaluated content related to bleeding gums on YouTube™. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of YouTube videos related to bleeding gums. A search was performed on YouTube using the keyword "bleeding gums" from Google Trends. Of the first 200 results, 107 videos met the inclusion criteria. The descriptive statistics for the videos included the time since upload, the video length, and the number of likes, views, comments, subscribers, and viewing rates. The global quality score (GQS), usefulness score, and DISCERN were used to evaluate the video quality. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman correlation analysis. The majority (n = 69, 64.48%) of the videos observed were uploaded by hospitals/clinics and dentists/specialists. The highest coverage was for symptoms (95.33%). Only 14.02% of the videos were classified as "good". The average video length of the videos rated as "good" was significantly longer than the other groups (p <0.05), and the average viewing rate of the videos rated as "poor" (63,943.68%) was substantially higher than the other groups (p <0.05). YouTube videos on bleeding gums were of moderate quality, but their content was incomplete and unreliable. Incorrect and inadequate content can significantly influence patients' attitudes and medical decisions. Effort needs to be expended by dental professionals, organizations, and the YouTube platform to ensure that YouTube can serve as a reliable source of information on bleeding gums.