Social Media Usage, Attitudes, Behaviour, And Perceptions of Online Professionalism in a Private Dental Institution

Introduction: Social media includes social networking platforms including Facebook and Twitter and media sharing sites, for example, YouTube and Instagram. Evidence suggests that social media is now used extensively by health professionals, with up to 90% of practicing doctors now reporting that they use Instagram accounts for professional or personal use. Aim: To examine attitudes towards professional behaviors on social media and online behavior amongst dental students in a private Dental institution Methodology: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted using an online-based pre-structured questionnaire. Questions included were social media platform use, attitudes towards social media behaviors, and perceptions of a range of professional scenarios The target population were Final years BDS students, Interns, and Postgraduate students of a private dental college. The sampling method used was the convenience sampling method. Results: The majority of students in the study reported using their real names on social platforms (n=167/191, 87%). Students were most likely to identify themselves as a dental student (n=173/191= 90%). One-third of students rated posting and anonymized dental procedures as unprofessional. Conclusion: This study found widespread use of social media amongst students and awareness of the relationship between social media and professionalism. Most