Content and Usefulness of YouTube Videos on Oil Pulling: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective:The increasing use of social media as a source of health information has raised concerns regarding the scientific accuracy of online educational content. This study aimed to evaluate the content and usefulness of Turkish- and English-language YouTube™ videos related to oil pulling and to compare their educational value according to upload source.Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, a YouTube™ search using the keyword “oil pulling” was performed on May 21, 2021. The first 305 videos retrieved using the default search settings were screened, and 178 eligible videos were included in the analysis. Video duration, upload year, numbers of views, likes, dislikes, and upload sources were recorded. Content was evaluated using a predefined 10-item usefulness scoring system, and videos were classified as not useful, slightly useful, useful, or highly useful. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Spearman's correlation analysis, and Cohen's kappa coefficient.Results:Among the 178 analyzed videos, 60.7% were classified as useful and 21.9% as highly useful. Verbal explanation of the procedure (94.9%) and information regarding oral health effects (92.1%) were the most frequently presented content items, whereas references to scientific evidence were identified in only 17.4% of videos. Videos uploaded by healthcare professionals demonstrated significantly higher educational usefulness than those uploaded by individual users or websites. No significant correlations were found between usefulness scores and video popularity indicators, including views, likes, dislikes, or upload year (p > 0.05). Interobserver agreement was almost perfect (Cohen’s κ = 0.935).Conclusion:Although most YouTube™ videos on oil pulling provided useful educational information, evidence-based content remained limited. Videos uploaded by healthcare professionals demonstrated superior educational value, while viewer popularity did not reflect scientific quality. Greater involvement of oral healthcare professionals and academic institutions in producing evidence-based digital educational content may help improve oral health literacy and reduce misinformation.