A qualitative analysis of orthodontic-related posts on Twitter

Objective: To investigate the content of orthodontic-related Twitter posts in order to improve our understanding of orthodontic patients' perceptions and treatment experiences. Materials and Methods: Some 131 consecutive posts were collected from Twitter over a 5-day period. Twitter's advanced-search function was used to limit the sampling frame to New Zealand. The posts were qualitatively analyzed for themes using discourse analysis. Results: Four main themes were identified: (1) excitement about getting braces off, (2) problems with braces, (3) positive comments about braces, and (4) negative comments about braces. Various language tools and symbols were often used to convey different degrees of emotion. The present study explores these themes and discusses how they relate to modern-age orthodontics. Conclusion: This is the first study to qualitatively analyze orthodontic-related posts in the social media era. Our findings suggest that orthodontic patients use social media sites such as Twitter to convey positive and negative feelings about braces.