Evaluation of Pediatric Dentistry Content Posted by Brazilian Digital Influencers

Objectives: This study aimed to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the content posted on Instagram^® by digital influencers focusing on pediatric dentistry within the Brazilian context.
Methods: For inclusion in the research open and personal profiles, Brazilian, with content related to pediatric dentistry, with more than 10 thousand followers between March 2021 and August 2022, were considered. The posts were systematically classified according to the theme and evaluated according to followers’ interaction. Those identified as health-related were evaluated by applying the Brazilian version of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Clear Communication Index (BR-CDC-CCI), an instrument that scores educational materials content’s quality from 0 to 100. Additionally, a questionnaire covering personal aspects, academic background, area of activitiy and profile characteristics was submitted to each digital influencer whose profile was included in the study.
Results: A total of 57 profiles had their Instagram® posts evaluated, and for 35 of these, the digital influencer returned the questionnaire. Health-related posts accounted for 19% of all posts on these profiles, and the average BR-CDC-CCI score for these posts was 53 points. The influencers who responded to the questionnaire was predominantly female (95%) and showed a significant geographic concentration in the Southeast region of Brazil (51%). The multilevel linear regression model showed that posts with higher BR-CDC-CCI scores were associated with fewer likes (adjusted model, p=0.004). Additionally, posts targeted at dentists had higher BR-CDC-CCI scores (adjusted model, p=0.004).
Conclusions: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the amount of health-related content shared by these digital influencers varied widely and, overall, lacked satisfactory quality. The quality of the content showed a slight improvement when aimed at dentists. Additionally, an inverse relationship was observed between the quality of the health posts and the number of likes, suggesting that lower-quality posts tended to receive more engagement from followers.