Fake news in pediatric dentistry: a quantitative and qualitative study of information available on Instagram

• Ano de defesa: 2023
• Autor(a) principal: Strieder, Anna Paola
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Comportamento; Dentes decíduos; eHealth; Erupção dentária
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/25/25145/tde-23012024-090232/

False or incorrect information found on social media, such as the use of the amber necklace for the prevention of the supposed symptoms of dental eruption, has the potential to negatively influence individuals\' health behaviors. Within this context, the aim of the study was to analyze the perception and experience of Instagram users related to information about the use of the amber necklace in the prevention of dental eruption symptoms. This study was divided into two phases, aiming (1) to evaluate the interaction of Instagram users with posts related to the amber necklace in Brazilian Portuguese and, subsequently, (2) to assess the comments of posts that presented the highest engagement. In the first phase, posts were collected using specific search strategies on the CrowdTangle platform, and subsequently categorized according to their facticity (information or disinformation), media type (album/photo or video/IGTV), sentiment (positive or neutral/negative), author\'s profession (dentist/non-dentist) and profile type (commercial or personal). Most posts were commercial ones, created by non-dentists and published as an album/photo, expressing a positive sentiment and containing misinformation. While personal profiles and the presence of videos were predictive factors for higher total interaction, personal profile was also predictive for better propagation performance of a post. In the second phase, 509 comments of amber necklace-related posts on Instagram with the highest engagement were evaluated. The posts were accessed and the content of the comments was organized into nodes and subnodes. The results were organized in conceptual maps, hierarchical graphs, cluster analysis, word clouds, and word trees using Nvivo software. The most frequent themes found in the evaluated comments, classified in descending order, were: i) recommendation of use, ii) knowledge, iii) acquisition, iv) testimonials of efficacy of the use of the amber necklace. Posts related to the amber necklace received high levels of engagement, evidencing a significant interest in the product by Instagram users. However, this interest may be directly linked to the supposed benefit of using the product: the relief of symptoms related to tooth eruption. These findings may highlight an incomplete approach by pediatric dentists in the treatment of infants and in the guidance of their parents and caregivers during dental appointments, highlighting the relevance of this study for the understanding of patients\' needs.