Dental education and undue exposure of patients’ image in social media: A literature review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The benefits of social media for health education and communication have been discussed in the literature. However, the indiscriminate utilisation by dental students and professionals, and the effects on patients' privacy and confidentiality are still little explored. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the exposure of patients' images in social media by dental students and professionals, as well as to explore how this issue is addressed in dental schools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review was performed. Search strategies were developed for the following bibliographic databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and Scopus. There were no restrictions about the year of publication. RESULTS: 231 articles were identified through search strategies. After a two-phase process of selection, 7 studies were included. Articles mainly described how social media have been used by healthcare students and professionals and warned that this usage has often been unprofessional, risking patients' privacy and confidentiality. Thus, it is the faculty's role, as a whole, to instruct students about the wise social media usage. CONCLUSION: The undue exposure of patients' images by dental students and professionals in social media has often been observed. Educators should include social media awareness discussions on the undergraduate curriculum.

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