Could videos about flossing – dental care, not the dance – engage TikTok audiences? And are the risks of misinformation worth the rewards of making oral health feel more accessible? Authors Reeva Darren Gestre, BS, and Jean Marie Star, DDS, MPH, explore social media as an avenue for patient education in research featured in the CDA Journal.
“Assessing #dentist Content on TikTok: Engagement, Quality, and Implications for Oral Health Care” presents an analysis of 1,005 videos tagged with #dentist and shared on TikTok over a three-month period. A qualitative codebook was applied to the data of all videos analyzed, including validity, narrative reliability, video production and video sentiment.
The research reveals a very high level of engagement with #dentist content and the opportunity for dental professionals to use social media to promote oral health, especially to adolescents. The authors note that given the volume of oral health-related videos already on social media, the dental profession should be actively involved in promoting content that is evidence-based and reaching audiences who do not have high oral health literacy or routine access to care.
This Journal collection also includes engaging research on new materials and techniques to support restorative, reconstructive and rejuvenating dental care.
Proper protocols for post-adjustment finishing
Surface roughness on dental restorations can have detrimental effects on the opposing and adjacent dentition and also increase plaque accumulation, which may compromise patients’ overall oral health. The authors of the narrative review “The Effects of Chairside Adjustment on the Surface Roughness of Contemporary Dental Ceramics” have found the sequential use of a zirconia polishing kit with a fine grit polishing paste results in a smooth finish for zirconia, lithium disilicate and feldspathic porcelain restorations.
The review discusses in vitro and clinical assessments of surface roughness, the rationale of chairside finishing and polishing of dental ceramics, the efficacy of various polishing kits and the effects of interchanging kits among different ceramics.
CDA member-dentists can earn .5 units C.E. credit at no cost by reading the article and successfully completing an online quiz.
Novel techniques for closing the black triangle
The reconstruction of the lost interdental papilla remains one of the most intriguing and least predictable procedures in periodontology. And preservation of the integrity of the papillae through both surgical and non-surgical techniques is necessary for form, function and aesthetics. “Reconstruction of Interdental Papilla Using I-PRF” is a case report of a 36-year-old female patient that highlights the promising results of injectable platelet concentrates.
The authors present a novel technique using i-PRF that could reduce the need for surgical procedures, thus helping to increase patient compliance and reduce morbidities.
International research on closing bone defects
Can the direct deposition of polymeric membranes at the surgical site allow dental surgeons autonomy in the deposition of barrier membranes?
The Brazilian study “Application of Solution Blow Spinning Through Airbrush Pen for in situ Generation of Barrier Membranes” explores the feasibility of application and direct development of membranes with a barrier function for GBR in bone gaps found in daily clinical dentistry.
More perspectives on health trends
Other Journal articles in the collection include Impressions — curated scientific news of interest to dental professionals and the oral health community — an editorial on stroke factors and recovery and a letter to the editor on how AI is reshaping the dental landscape.
Read the full CDA Journal collection online and explore the most read, most cited and trending articles.