Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Patients use digital platforms to
research and learn about various health problems because of
ease of information search and communication on the Internet.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the resources that patients
use to access information about orthodontics.
Methods:A questionnaire was created consisting of 13
questions and sent a link to participants. Participants’ age,
gender and social media usage level, usage purposes were
questioned about orthodontics. The first 2 questions are related
to the participant’s personal information (age and gender). The
next 3 questions are to investigate the participant’s frequency
of Internet use and for what purpose. The next 8 questions
inquire about whether the participant uses the Internet for oral
health and orthodontics.
Results: One thousand twenty participants responded the
questionnaire. Six hundred ten of the participants were female
and 410 were male. 28.3% of the participants stated that they
use the Internet to access social media, 27.2% to do research
and 21.9% to follow the news. 76% of participants were active
in social media. 43.8% of the participants use the dentist
resource to access information about oral health. 29% of the
participants reported that they previously used the virtual
environment to access orthodontic information.
Conclusion: The participants preferred to get information
from their relatives and families on orthodontic issues,
while they more frequently applied to the dentist to obtain
information about oral health. Subjects stated that the most
reliable source of information is the dentist.