Is YouTube® Adequate as a Source of Patient Information for Intravenous Sedation in Dentistry?

Abstract Objective According to the results of the research conducted by the Pew Research Center in the USA, 80% of adult Internet users search for health on the Internet, and treatment decisions of 58% of them are affected by the information obtained. YouTube® is the most popular video-sharing platform globally, and many health-related videos are available. However, the information quality of YouTube® videos on intravenous sedation in dentistry is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the information quality of YouTube® videos on “intravenous sedation in dentistry.” Materials and methods “Intravenous sedation in dentistry” was searched on YouTube®, and the first 200 videos were listed. Video features, i.e., like ratio (LR) and video power index (VPI), were recorded. The quality of videos was evaluated using the DISCERN questionnaire, Global Quality Score (GQS), and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) score. Results The study included 130 videos, and 73.1% of the videos were published by private dental hospitals. However, 96.9% of the videos were of low quality considering the DISCERN total score. Only 14.6% of the videos with GQS and 1.5% with JAMA were of acceptable quality (score ≥3). Videos with “Fair” DISCERN total score and the DQ score of 4 had significantly higher VPI, view ratio, and number of comments. The VPI and view ratio were significantly higher in videos with a GQS score of 4. Moreover, the video quality was positively correlated with the video duration. Conclusion YouTube® content about intravenous sedation in dentistry was generally of low quality. It has been demonstrated that users viewed higher quality videos more and higher quality videos were more popular about “IV sedation in dentistry.” Thus, patients could be informed effectively and adequately by uploading accurate and quality YouTube® videos created by authorized institutions, anesthesiologists, and dentists.