YouTube as a Source of Information for Prefabricated Composite Veneers

Objectives: To evaluate the quality, content and reliability of videos about "prefabricated composite veneers" on YouTube.
Methods: The term "prefabricated composite veneers" was searched on YouTube and the first 200 videos were watched and evaluated by a single researcher. 32 videos were selected according to inclusion criteria and evaluated for duration, view count, likes, comments, content, upload date, target audience, source, and quality. Content quality, information flow, accuracy, and consistency level of the videos were assessed. Videos were scored for specific parameters associated with Prefabricated Composite Veneers and categorized into low- and high-quality contents. Videos scores between 0-4 were classified as low content while 5-9 scores were for high content videos. Their quality was determined using the Video Information Quality Index (VIQI) and the Global Quality Score (GQS) using a 5-point score. Statistically, Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test were used to compare the two groups. The correlation between variables were evaluated by calculating Spearman's rank correlation test. Statistical significance was inferred at p<0.05.
Results: 32 videos were divided into two groups as low (%56.3, n=18) and high content videos (%43.7, n=14) considering the scores. A significant difference was found in the content of high and low content video groups (p=0.014). The most frequently mentioned content was educational purpose for low content videos (56%, n=10) and learning technique for high content videos (%79, n= 11). 44% of the videos were uploaded by dental companies for low content videos and 79% for high content videos (p=0.045). 65.6% of the videos included bonding procedures and advantages of these techniques. The correlation between VIQI1-VIQI2 (r=0.40, p=0.026) and GQS-VIQI1 (r=0.895, p=0.00) was found to be high and statistically significant.
Conclusions: Although mostly uploaded by dental companies, YouTube was found to be a reliable source of information with contents scores as sufficient for prefabricated composite veneers.