Social Media as a Tool for Oral Health Promotion: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Content-Analysis Studies Across Digital Platforms

Abstract

Social media has emerged as a powerful and accessible platform for health communication, including the promotion of oral health among diverse population groups. The present umbrella review synthesized evidence from five systematic reviews and content-analysis studies published between 2022 and 2025 to evaluate the role of social media as a tool for oral health promotion across various digital platforms. With the widespread adoption of platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok for health communication, there is growing interest in their capacity to influence oral-health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This review included systematic reviews and meta-analyses that assessed interventions or content targeting general populations, including children, adolescents, adults, and caregivers. Outcomes included knowledge improvement, behavioral changes, clinical indices such as plaque and gingival scores, and measures of content quality and engagement. Methodological quality was assessed using AMSTAR-2 (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2), and certainty of evidence for meta-analyzed outcomes was evaluated using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Risk of duplication was addressed via Corrected Covered Area analysis. Among the included reviews, digital interventions led to modest improvements in oral-health practices and significant knowledge gains in specific subgroups, although the overall certainty of evidence was low to very low due to methodological limitations, short follow-up, and inconsistency. Content-analysis studies highlighted substantial variability in the quality, reliability, and readability of social-media content, with a notable prevalence of misinformation, especially in parent-targeted videos. The findings suggest that social media holds promise as an adjunct to traditional oral-health education but requires careful content regulation and further high-quality research. The review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge and identifies gaps for future intervention development and policy frameworks in digital oral-health promotion.

Keywords: dental public health; digital platforms; e-learning; health education; misinformation; mobile health; oral health promotion; social media; systematic review.

Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram indicating the selection process of the articles in the present umbrella review

Figure 2. Heatmap showing risk of bias of the included reviews according to the AMSTAR-2 tool

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