Online oral health misinformation and information quality: a scoping review
Originally at nature.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Dentists and practice owners must now treat online misinformation as a revenue and compliance risk: patients arrive with false beliefs about fluoride, implants, or radiographs, lengthening chair time and increasing treatment refusal.
Key points
- Scoping review found the largest share of misinformation targeted fluoride, amalgam, and implant safety—topics that directly affect case acceptance and procedure volume.
- Patients using social media as their primary oral-health source showed 2–3× higher rates of declining recommended radiographs or restorative care.
- Practices with active debunking content (website FAQs, short videos) reduced misinformation-driven appointment cancellations by up to 18 % in one included study.
- State dental boards in CA, TX, and NY have issued guidance requiring providers to document patient education when online myths affect informed consent.
Who should care
Read the original on Nature subjects: Dentistry
Full reporting and any paywall content live on nature.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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