Oral Healthcare Implications of Dedicated Online Communities: A Computational Content Analysis of the r/Dentistry Subreddit

Challenges in Media Attention toward COVID-19-Preventive Behaviors: Dual Roles of Threat and Perceived Capability for Information Systems and Health Care

Based on the extended parallel process model, this study investigated the relationship between young adults' media exposure to COVID-19 and their adoption of protective behaviors. This study surveyed 141 college students and found that increased risk perceptions led to greater intentions to engage in COVID-19-preventive behaviors and that these intentions were mediated by normative beliefs. There was no significant difference in risk perceptions between traditional media and social media. The results showed that college students took precautions against COVID-19 because they perceived themselves to be both vulnerable and capable.

Evaluation of orthodontic retention and retainer content on the Reddit social media website

BACKGROUND

Social media can provide insight into patient experiences with health care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the content regarding orthodontic retention and retainers on the social media website, Reddit.

METHODS

A systematic search for relevant content submitted over a 12-month period on the Reddit forum, r/braces, was conducted. Qualitative analysis of the initial posts for themes and subthemes was conducted by two investigators. Responding comments to the initial posts were assessed for supportiveness for each initial poster and alignment with the evidence-base. Quantitative assessment was via descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 271 initial posts and 984 comments satisfied the inclusion/exclusion criteria. All initial posts were by patients. Just 1.12% (n = 11) of the comments appeared to be provided by oral health professionals. Most initial posts were negative (50.18%; n = 136), and most comments were positive (70.42%; n = 693). Alignment with the evidence-base was high among the comments (67.89%; n = 668). Eight main themes were identified with concerns regarding the negative impact of retention and retainers on quality of life, compliance with retention protocols and relapse commonly expressed. Concern regarding fear of relapse when waiting for the initial or renewal of retainers was a novel finding. More negative sentiments about orthodontists were expressed than positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Reddit is a supportive and reliable environment for patients regarding orthodontic retention and retainers. The content evaluation suggested deficiencies in communication processes between clinicians and patients. Greater engagement of the orthodontic profession in the provision of supportive and evidence-based information on an individual patient basis and through appropriate information channels is required.

The Evolution of Discourse in Online Communities Devoted to a Pandemic

Online communities are increasingly important discursive spaces in which individuals obtain health information and engage in sensemaking, and they play an especially essential role during viral outbreaks in which social distancing requirements may preclude engagement with other communities and information sources. However, the manner in which those communities evolve in response to a rapidly developing public health crisis, as well as in reaction to one another, is not well-understood. This longitudinal study uses latent Dirichlet allocation to assess the co-evolution of three subreddits focused on COVID-19 during the earliest, most volatile stages of the outbreak. The results demonstrate the power of being the first online community addressing an emerging health crisis as well as the manner in which latecomers to the conversation gravitate toward distinct niches to differentiate themselves with respect to both topical foci and associated communication styles. The results also highlight individuals' detachment toward developments in even an unprecedented crisis such as a global pandemic, which represents a critical barrier that health communication professionals must overcome to persuade audiences to take health crises seriously. Future studies should examine the potential role of coordination among community administrators as well as the extent to which users are aware of and exert agency over the co-evolutionary processes spanning multiple communities.

Orthodontics in an online community: A computational analysis of r/Braces subreddit

BACKROUND

This study aimed to analyze the semantic network and content analyses of the posts published in a subreddit related to orthodontic treatment on Reddit (Advance Publications, Inc., San Francisco, California).

METHODS

The eight threads in the r/Braces subreddit were divided into two categories: 1) "treatment process" (Braces are off!!!, Braces progress, Before and after!, and Day 1!) and 2) "question/problem" (Question, Discussion!, Need advice! and Rant!). For both categories, a semantic network analysis was performed using the Leximancer software (Leximancer Pty Ltd., Brisbane, Australia). In addition, the quality of the posts published in the "question" thread and the usefulness of the replies provided to these questions (useful, misleading, or neutral) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Seven themes (braces, teeth, months, day, worth, started, and result) that mostly emphasized orthodontic treatment and treatment duration were elicited from the "treatment process" category, and seven themes (teeth, orthodontist, braces, week, bands, brush, and extractions) that mostly emphasized orthodontic treatment, orthodontists, and time were elicited from the "question/problem" category. It was also revealed that users voted on the posts related to the "treatment process" category and moved the posts to the list of top posts on the platform. In the "question" thread, 47.79% of the posts asked for advice and 21.11% of them were related to failures. In addition, 69% of the replies were categorized as "useful."

CONCLUSIONS

Reddit is a successful data mining platform, and the users provide highly useful replies to the questions posted on Reddit regarding orthodontic treatment.

Dentistry website analysis: An overview of the content of formulated questions and answers

Aim

This study aimed to analyze the content of questions and answers posted on dentistry websites.

Subject and methods

A mixed-method study was conducted in 2020. A total of 1354 related questions were included, of which 1182 were answered by dentists. The data was analyzed quantitatively according to the classification of the questions, main complaints of the subjects and length of the questions and answers using Excel₂₀₁₃. A qualitative content analysis was carried out also for data robustness and triangulation.

Results

Of the 1354 questions, 866 of them were categorized into 11 categories according to the main sub-classes of the International Classification of Diseases to Dentistry and Stomatology. Furthermore, the inquiries were allocated to 3 communication styles to present the users' main complaints that included contextual (52.33%), emotional (6.79%) and focal (40.89%) strategies. Results of the qualitative content analysis have led to 6 main themes: seeking the related recommendations of any actions, treatment seeking, information seeking, seeking for causes and reasons, seeking for oral and dental health recommendations and seeking for the dentists' diagnosis or comments.

Conclusions

The present study can be used for designing specific customized websites of dentistry and help the website managers for better optimization of the websites. All these interventions can pave the way for developing teleconsulting in dentistry for middle-income countries.