JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Emerging evidence suggests an association between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s Disease, potentially mediated by chronic systemic inflammation and oral pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis. As public interest in this relationship grows, social media platforms such as TikTok have become important sources of health information for the general public. However, the quality and accuracy of content disseminated on this topic remain unclear.

Objective:

To evaluate the content quality, informational value, and engagement characteristics of TikTok videos addressing Alzheimer's Disease and oral health.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional content analysis study, TikTok videos were extracted between August 17 and 27, 2023. Eight search phrases combining “Alzheimer’s Disease” with oral health–related terms were used. The first 25 videos per search term were screened. Eligible English-language videos were independently evaluated by two reviewers using the Global Quality Score (GQS; range 1–5) and a pilot 8-domain, 12-point modified Content Score (CS) assessing coverage of predefined scientific domains. Video characteristics, poster type, themes, and engagement metrics were recorded. Descriptive statistics summarized video characteristics and quality measures, while inferential analyses evaluated differences across poster types and associations among engagement, content quality, and video characteristics. Statistical significance was set at a two-sided α level of .05.

Results:

Of 200 screened videos, 44 met the inclusion criteria. The overall median GQS was 3 out of 5, indicating moderate-quality content. The median CS was 2 out of 12, corresponding to “slightly useful” content. Dental care providers (DCPs) posted ~32% of videos (median GQS=3; median CS=3). Non-dental healthcare providers/scientists demonstrated the highest median GQS (5) and a median CS (1) and generated the greatest average engagement. Layperson-posted videos were the lowest quality (median GQS=2; median CS=1). Engagement was not consistently associated with higher informational quality across all poster categories. Content quality differed significantly by poster type for both GQS (χ²₃=9.86, P=.02) and CS (χ²₃=10.09, P=.02), whereas engagement did not differ by poster type (P=.74). A moderate positive correlation was observed between GQS and CS (ρ=0.47, P=.001).

Conclusions:

TikTok videos addressing Alzheimer's Disease and oral health are limited in number and generally provide moderate quality but low informational depth. Content quality varied significantly by poster type, whereas engagement was not associated with informational quality. Greater participation by dental and healthcare professionals in creating accurate, evidence-based short-form content may improve oral health literacy among patients and caregivers and help counter misinformation.