SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON PROFESSIONAL AND PROFILE LEVELS OF DENTAL STUDENTS AND INTERNS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Dr Aliyaa Zaidan, BDS, and *Dr. Rayan Bahabri, BDS, DDS, CAGS.

ABSTRACT

Backgrounds: Social networking is a web-based channel that people use to communicate with one another and express their thoughts, opinions and experiences. The Internet and social media are the most effective communication methods in Saudi Arabia. Objective: To evaluate the impact of using social media on professional and profile level among dental students in Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional study developed via online questionnaire. The survey consisted of four major sections: demographic data, use of social networking, online privacy and profile, and professionalism and social networking. Results: A total of 296 dental students and interns in Saudi Arabia responded to the questionnaire. Regarding profile reputation, 40% of the respondents agreed that others to judge their level of professionalism could use their profile information published on social networking websites. The discrepancy among student levels reveals that social media profiles positively influence the acceptance to postgraduate programs (P= 0.01). Conclusion: Social media and online activities can be a doubleedged sword with negative and positive impacts on professional and profile levels of dental students in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Dental students, profile, professionalism and social media.