Quality, reliability and viewer perceptions of YouTube videos on oral health during pregnancy: a mixed-methods analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the content, reliability and user engagement of YouTube videos on oral and dental health during pregnancy using a mixed-methods approach. The study focused solely on videos in the Turkish language. METHODS: A YouTube search was conducted using predefined keywords. After applying inclusion criteria, 189 videos were analyzed. Content evaluation was based on guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), American Dental Association (ADA), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Video quality and reliability were assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and modified DISCERN criteria. User engagement metrics and thematic analysis of comments were analyzed using MAXQDA 24. RESULTS: Of the analyzed videos, 69.3% were uploaded by health-related sources, while 30.7% were from independent users. Videos from individual healthcare professionals had significantly higher engagement metrics compared to those from healthcare institutions (p < 0.001). Quality analysis showed that 15.3% of videos were high quality, while 56.1% were classified as low quality. The mean Information Reliability Score was 2.32 +/- 1.04. Comment analysis showed that 44.4% of commenters were pregnant women, and the most frequently mentioned theme in qualitative analysis was "fear of harm to the baby" (39% of comments). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that most YouTube videos on oral and dental health during pregnancy are of low quality and limited reliability. Increased involvement of healthcare professionals in producing evidence-based video content may enhance the quality of information available to pregnant women.