YouTube as an information resource for early orthodontic treatment with clear aligners

Aim: This study evaluated the content, reliability, and quality of videos about early orthodontic treatment with clear aligners on YouTube. Methodology: Using the most frequently employed search terms—“Invisalign First” and “aligner for kids”—the authors searched YouTube for relevant videos and recorded the number of views, likes, comments, video duration, and days since uploading. An 11-point content score was employed to identify low- and high-quality videos, and the global quality scale (GQS) was used to examine the quality of the videos. This study adopted a modified version of the DISCERN tool for evaluating the reliability of health and medical information and used the Mann-Whitney U test to compare the video groups with high- and low-quality content. A p-value of <.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results: A content analysis classified 26% of the YouTube videos as high-quality content and 74% as low-quality content. The most frequent topics in the videos were descriptions of the appliance (66%) and the types and mechanism of the appliance (51%), whereas the least mentioned topics were the cost of treatment (13%), the disadvantages of the appliance (5%), and comparisons of treatment options (15%). The quality of the videos was evaluated as moderate in 36% of the 61 videos, poor or generally poor in 28%, and good or excellent in 36%. The mean reliability score (2.49±1.29) indicates that the videos’ reliability was generally poor. The high-quality content group had a greater mean video length, viewing rate, and GQS and reliability score than the low-quality content group. A statistically significant positive correlation was identified between content score, GQS, and reliability score values (p <.05). Conclusion: YouTube video content relating to early orthodontic treatment with clear aligners was generally inadequate. The quality of the videos was moderate, but the reliability score indicated that they were not generally reliable. Orthodontists should be aware of the inadequacies of YouTube recordings and ensure that patients have access to accurate and reliable recordings.