The Impact of Social Media Posts Concerning Esthetic Dentistry on Self-Esteem and Satisfaction Among Adults in Saudi Arabia

Social media platforms have become credible tools for spreading awareness of dental care as well as advertisements for esthetic dentistry, which may negatively affect users by leading to dissatisfaction and low self-esteem when they compare themselves with others.

To measure self-esteem and satisfaction related to esthetic dentistry by administering a validated questionnaire to adults in Saudi Arabia, which investigates how they are affected by seeing the topic addressed on social media.

This study investigated 515 participants living in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered validated questionnaire was electronically developed using Google Forms 2020. A link to the questionnaire was distributed through multiple social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram, to assess self-esteem and satisfaction resulting from the presentation of esthetic dentistry on social media platforms among adults. A pilot study was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, which was modified based on feedback, as well as the results of the reliability testing.

The analysis showed that the social media platforms on which information about or advertisements for esthetic dentistry are most commonly found were Snapchat (45.8%) and Instagram (44.5%). A statistically significant association was found between the sociodemographic data, including age (P=0.00), gender (P=0.000), occupation (P=0.001), monthly income (P=0.000), and the effect of the appearance of one’s smile on willingness to post personal photos on social media.

The findings suggest that seeing esthetic dentistry addressed on social media sites influences social media users’ self-esteem and satisfaction. Social media platforms should be encouraged to properly discuss common concerns and available dental treatments.