YouTube Health Videos: A Study of Content and Expert Audience of Physicians

The current research aims to analyze YouTube videos related to dentistry, which are presented by influencers who are not licensed dentists, in order to assess the quality of health information disseminated through the platform. Additionally, the research seeks to conduct a sentiment analysis of the audience by examining users’ comments on the selected videos. This dual approach enables a deeper understanding of audience orientations and responses to this type of content.
This study falls within the domain of descriptive-analytical research, employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analytical survey method was used to evaluate the selected sample of videos, while audience sentiment was analyzed through comment analysis, including the most highly voted and reacted-to comments using qualitative sentiment techniques. Furthermore, the study included the evaluation of dental professionals’ perceptions toward the selected videos.
The DISCERN tool—a validated instrument designed to help both consumers and providers of health information assess the quality of written health content—was used to analyze the video content. Sentiment analysis techniques were applied using Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods through the Orange Data Mining software to extract the sentiments conveyed in user comments on the selected YouTube videos. In addition, in-depth interviews and electronic questionnaires were conducted to explore dentists’ evaluations of the analyzed dental-related health content.
The research sample consisted of six YouTube videos related to dentistry, along with all associated user comments (totaling 15,726 comments) which were analyzed exhaustively. Finally, the content of the selected videos was presented to a panel of nine dentists from various dental specialties to ensure diverse expert perspectives. Their evaluations were collected through both interviews and questionnaires.
The research found that 25.9% of the analyzed videos were classified as "highly dangerous," containing content that could lead to serious health complications such as tooth loss or chronic gum infections. Moreover, the audience generally did not express clear positions toward the health information presented, with neutral comments being the most prevalent, followed by positive ones.
The findings further revealed that most dental professionals classified the video titles as misleading; noting that they were attractively worded yet did not reflect the scientific accuracy of the content. A significant portion of the videos contained partially inaccurate or incomplete information, which poses a heightened risk due to the audience’s inability to distinguish between false and accurate health content. The study ultimately concludes that misleading health information has a severe impact on public awareness and health behavior, embedding false concepts that are difficult to correct, and leading to potentially harmful treatment decisions.