University Archives

Objective: To examine how TikTok influences trust in dental information, adoption of dental hacks, and changes in oral hygiene habits.

Results: 37% reported heavy TikTok use; 40% had tried a dental hack. Higher TikTok use and perceived professionalism significantly predicted hack adoption (p ≤ .001). Trying hacks was strongly associated with reported behavior change (p < .001).

Background: Existing research highlights the need for further investigation of the impact of short-form social media content and oral hygiene habits. Maisse et al. (2023) found that social media customer reviews heavily influenced the likelihood of viewers adopting the dental hack or product. 

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey (N = 108), approved by the IRB (IRB#: 25-26-19), measured TikTok usage, perceived professionalism of dental content, experience with dental hacks, and self-reported habit change. Descriptive and chi-square analyses were performed.

Conclusion: Results concluded that the younger social media users who frequently use the TikTok app were more likely to attempt dental hacks and report a positive change in their oral hygiene habits. In conclusion, a statistically significant relationship between TikTok usage frequency and the likelihood for users to use a dental hack.