The role of social media in dental education: a qualitative study

Objectives: Social media (SM) are now ubiquitous in society. Originally used for socialising between individuals, they are increasingly used for educational purposes. The aim of this study was to explore the role of SM in dental education used by dental students and their teachers in the UK and Egypt.

Methods: Twenty semi-structured online interviews were conducted with dental students (n = 11) and their teachers (n = 9) from one UK and two Egyptian universities. The interviews included open-ended questions about participants' perceptions of using SM in dental education. Data analysis was carried out thematically.

Results: Analysis of the interviews revealed that the participants used SM for communication, collaboration, and to search for information. The dental teachers used SM to promote blended learning and the flipped classroom approach. SM in dental education had many benefits, including ease of use, real-time communication, and the facilitation of independent, self-paced student learning. However, some barriers to adopting SM for learning included concerns about the quality of published information, unprofessional behaviour, privacy, and negative effects on learning.

Conclusion: Integrating SM with the traditional classroom approach is potentially useful in promoting an active, collaborative, student-centred, problem-based, and blended learning-oriented environment. However, dental students and their teachers should be trained to use SM appropriately.