Influence of TikTok on patient acceptance of rapid maxillary expansion
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A cross-sectional and cross-cultural evaluation on the influence of TikTok on patient acceptance of rapid maxillary expansion: the UK and USA perspective.
IRAS ID
324546
Contact name
Julian Woolley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 30 days
Research summary
Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) is a treatment in orthodontics used to create space. RME has also been shown to produce beneficial changes in facial soft tissues and the surrounding facial skeleton. As a result, RME has become routine in the armamentarium of orthodontists.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows content producers to share short videos with an extensive user base. At the time of writing this proposal, videos tagged with jaw expander, palatal expander or orthodontic expander received 295.4 million views, 158.8 million views and 1.6 billion views respectively. Increasingly, patients are using social media platforms to educate themselves on clinical procedures and treatment options. Any poor-quality information or misinformation could affect, what professionals may consider, more important considerations for treatment choice.
The main aim of this study is to compare the willingness to accept treatment with various orthodontic devices before and after watching video content related to the treatment on TikTok. Acceptance will be measured using a questionnaire with visual analogue scales.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EM/0069
Date of REC Opinion
11 Apr 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion