Comparison of YouTube and YouTube Shorts videos about clear aligners

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the quality and characteristics of information about clear aligners between YouTube and YouTube Short videos. Material and Methods: YouTube video was searched using the keyword "aligner." After ranking the results according to relevance, 100 of the first 157 YouTube videos and 100 of the first 140 YouTube Shorts were evaluated. Videos were classified into five groups as dentist/specialist, hospital/clinic/university, commercial, layperson, and other. The video information and quality index (VIQI) and DISCERN index were used to evaluate the quality and usefulness of the videos. Data were analyzed using International Business Machines(Ibm) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistics version 23. Level of significance was accepted as P < 0.05. Results: Only 9% of YouTube videos, content quality was found to be good. As DISCERN scores decreased, a significant decrease was present in the number of views, comments, likes and dislikes, total video length, VIQI, viewer interaction, and viewing rate. The United States of America (USA) was the leading country by producing 54% of YouTube videos. However, India was the predominant source of YouTube Shorts videos, with 83%. Invisalign was the most frequently mentioned brand of aligner in both YouTube and YouTube Shorts videos. Conclusion: Orthodontists should be aware that the data available on the internet is incorrect or insufficient and should guide their patients correctly with additional data. Likewise, they should guide them on how to access upto-date and accurate data.