The Dental Misinformation Epidemic: An Evaluation of Quality, Accuracy and Educational Impact in Youtube's Tooth Bleaching Content

INTRODUCTION: The proliferation of inaccurate information about tooth bleaching on the internet poses a growing risk to oral health, promoting potentially harmful practices while undermining evidence-based professional guidance. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the quality, reliability, and educational impact of tooth bleaching videos on YouTube, specifically examining disparities between viewer engagement and scientific rigour. METHODOLOGY: An analysis was conducted on videos selected from the most searched terms on Google Trends. The assessment used the modified DISCERN, Global Quality Score (GQS) for overall quality, standardized audiovisual criteria and engagement metrics, analysed by two independent researchers. RESULTS: 71.4% of videos demonstrated low reliability (scores ≤ 2/5), while only 4.7% achieved maximum quality (5/5 GQS). Non-professional content garnered 3.5 × greater engagement than videos produced by health professionals despite 30.2% scoring minimally for reliability (1/5). Audiovisual production quality was prioritized over accuracy, with 100% of videos rated as having high/moderate technical standards despite frequent misinformation. DISCUSSION: YouTube's. algorithms disproportionately amplify sensationalized, unverified content over evidence-based professional guidance. This promote clinical risks like predominant promotion of unproven methods (e.g., charcoal, lemon) may lead to enamel damage and hypersensitivity. CONCLUSION: It's urgent a call to action for dental professionals to actively create and disseminate scientifically validated digital content. Healthcare platforms and regulatory bodies must collaborate to develop strategies that prioritize quality and accuracy in dental health communication.