Does social media influence perception of dental well-being?

Investigators have explored the social impact of dental self-confidence.

In a study published in Health Marketing Quarterly, the investigators used the data from more than 500 parent-child dyads to assess how social media platforms may shape the dental self-confidence of adolescents by establishing health-related appearance norms and vulnerabilities among users.

The investigators found that social media use was linked to dental self-confidence as well as social and psychological impacts. Those with higher active social media use showed a stronger connection between dental self-confidence and psychological impact, highlighting a greater potential awareness of dental aesthetics and vulnerability. Further, lower dental self-confidence resulted in higher social and psychological impacts, while the inverse was also true. However, those who underwent orthodontic treatment had greater dental self-confidence compared with those who did not receive orthodontic care.

In a news article from Decisions in Dentistry reporting on the study, the investigators underscored that those who had higher levels of dental self-confidence were more likely to express good social and psychological well-being, whereas those with lower levels of dental self-confidence experienced issues smiling or partaking in social interactions as a result of perceived peer judgment rather than their own negative views of their dental aesthetics.

The findings indicated that dental self-confidence may exist as a social perception on digital spaces where peer interactions involve comparisons in dental aesthetics and create vulnerability through perceived judgment. The investigators suggested that dental professionals should discuss social confidence with adolescent patients by asking about their comfort smiling, speaking and participating in photographs. Further, adolescent support services should incorporate social media literacy into their programs.

Read more: Decisions in Dentistry

The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.