Use of social media by dental students: A comparative study

Abstract

ObjectivesSocial media (SM) use is key part of modern pedagogical practice. This study designed to compare online activities of undergraduate dental students from two dental schools in Iraq and USA to compensate for the lack of primary literature on SM comportment of students in third-world countries which acts as a barrier to increasing SM awareness within dentistry. MethodsA questionnaire consisting of 18 questions has been made to assess SM usage among students from Mustansiriya University in Iraq (n = 149) and LECOM School in USA (n = 210). Chi-squared test was used to analyze data. Results125 students from Iraq vs 156 from the USA had participated in this study with a response rate of 84%, 74% respectively. The null hypothesis was partially rejected as half the collected answers showed significant differences. The findings reveal that SM platforms popularity has grown throughout today's society as students are increasingly using them for their studies. YouTube and Instagram were well known to majority of participants. American medical schools began to recognize lack of policies on SM use early, but these have since evolved into their own guidelines. Nevertheless, Iraqi health care system is not yet aware of e-professionalism concept both in education and practice. ConclusionSM is part of modern pedagogy; however, students should be aware of information quality that they obtain from it which may not be referenced from credible sources. The null hypothesis was partially rejected as half the answers showed significant differences between Iraqi and American students.