YouTube as a source for parents' education on early childhood caries.

BACKGROUND: Patients can and do search the Internet for information on various health-related topics. YouTube™ is one popular website they may consult.

AIM: To examine the quality of information offered by YouTube™ for patients seeking information on early childhood caries (ECC).

DESIGN: YouTube™ was searched for videos on ECC. The usefulness of selected videos in providing adequate information about ECC was evaluated using a 13-point usefulness score. The guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry were used for benchmarking.

RESULTS: Most videos were uploaded by healthcare professionals (60%, n = 18). Videos had generally low usefulness scores (mean: 5.1 ± 2.9; range: 1-11). An average YouTube™ video on ECC was viewed two times/day (range: 0.07-34.4 views/day). Less useful videos ranked early on the viewing list, and viewer's interactions with videos were not affected significantly by their usefulness.

CONCLUSION: YouTube™ should not be used as a trusted site for educating patients on ECC.