What do orthodontists think about orthodontic social media marketing? 

Social media is having a tremendous influence on the provision of orthodontic treatment. However, there are concerns about the veracity of the information that is being provided by companies, general dental practitioners, and orthodontists. 

This is important because there is little regulation of social media. As a result, there is a danger of claims being made for the benefits of treatment that cannot be realised. 

This interesting problem has been looked at by a team based in London and Dublin. The British Dental Journal Open published this paper. 

What did they ask? 

They did this study too. 

“Explore orthodontist perceptions of social media marketing of orthodontics using qualitative methodology.” 

What did they do? 

They conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured one-to-one participant interviews conducted via video conferencing. The team invited members of the British Orthodontic Society to take part in the study. 

They used a pre-piloted topic guide to enable in-depth exploration during the interviews. They recorded and transcribed the interviews and analysed them using manual coding. Finally, they used an interpretive approach with thematic analysis. 

The team interviewed a sample of twelve orthodontists. Data saturation was reached after ten interviews. 

What did they find?

It is difficult to report in detail on a qualitative research paper; however, I am going to try to draw out the main points of their findings. 

Uneven playing field

The first theme they identified was an uneven playing field. The participants thought that social media marketing was dominated by companies who tended to advertise aligner-based products or direct-to-consumer orthodontics. This was also compounded by general dental practitioners advertising aligner-based orthodontics. They felt that these groups trivialised conventional orthodontic treatment modalities and incorrectly suggested the superiority of other treatments which lacked substance. 

Importantly, several of the participants felt that general dental practitioners face less scrutiny than non-specialists about the claims that they’re making. They also felt that social media marketing by orthodontists was rather sparse and that orthodontists did not necessarily share their opinions. 

Unsafe expectations and misinformation

This was the second theme. Participants expressed concern that social media marketing currently creates false expectations among patients and the public, while failing to reflect the true realities of orthodontics. Many also worried about the risks posed by misinformation. They believed that social media tends to sensationalise certain treatment options. Importantly, cases are often cherry-picked, showcasing only the most satisfied patients and the best outcomes in an overly idealised way. 

Importantly, they believed that the public was more vulnerable to harm from misinformation than clinicians and was less likely to critically evaluate marketing posts. This raised concerns about potential risks of harm.  

Universalising social media marketing.

Theme three focused on universalising social media marketing. They emphasized that self-regulation could be a solution and highlighted the importance of orthodontists embracing social media to enhance acceptance and effectively counteract misinformation. 

Finally, they advised that orthodontists should engage in self-regulation by sharing accurate, evidence-based content, being truthful, and addressing any concerns. 

What did I think?

This study employed standard qualitative methods, which enable researchers to capture the perceptions of participant groups. Although some might view this as ‘soft data,’ it remains a valuable and insightful source of information.

The findings are significant because they clearly show that social media is primarily dominated by companies that operate without regulation. In addition, general dentists, who may lack specialized knowledge, might not be able to critically evaluate some of the claims being made.

The main implication is that current orthodontic social media aimed at patients may present information that targets vulnerable individuals. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed.

It is also important to note that orthodontists can sometimes face the same criticism. We can see this by looking at the popular US-based social media accounts that focus on breathing.

Finally, I believe that specialist societies should take action by promoting self-regulation and, more importantly, by increasing their activity on social media to confront the widespread misinformation currently circulating. The British Orthodontic Society has done a great job in this area. They have released statements on breathing and orthotropics and have taken action against some fringe orthodontists. I’m not sure if other societies have been so proactive. Perhaps non UK orthodontists could comment on this?