RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Using social media to gain medical and dental information may have significant effects on the students' academic performance and career development. Therefore, we assessed the usage of social media for medical information among medical and dental students. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we administered a self-reported questionnaire to medical and dental students at the Jordan University of Science and Technology. RESULTS: A total of 856 students completed the questionnaire; two-thirds of them were medical students. Most students did not consider social media as a trusted source for medical information. In contrast, the source for treatment decisions for the majority (96.6%) was speciality physicians and not the management plans posted on social media. Females used more social media applications (p = .05) and spent more time on social media (p = .001) than males. The amount of educational information gained was directly associated with time spent on social media (p < .001). Those who completed more years of their medical or dental education were less likely to use social media for medical information and were more likely to follow medical online sites or forums. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed general reluctance among medical and dental students to use social media for medical information. This could be explained by cultural beliefs that social media is mainly for socialisation and entertainment. However, further research is needed to estimate the effects of social media usage on academic performance. This will help us decide whether to encourage students to use social media for education.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Refugees encounter several health disparities including oral health problems. This study evaluated the self-reported oral health status, practices, and access to care of adult refugees living in San Antonio, Texas, United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult refugees (n = 207) who accessed services from two centers in San Antonio, completed this survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationship of the refugees' demographics with oral health status, practices, and access to care. RESULTS: Oral pain in the previous 12 months was common among refugees having been reported by almost 58.9% of the survey participants; 43% reported pain as the reason for their last dental visit. Approximately half of the participants reported both the condition to their teeth and gums as being good: 42.5 and 54.6%, respectively. Most participants (84%) reported brushing their teeth one or two times a day, and around 78% reported they never smoked. Fifty-two percent reported needing dental care in the past 12 months, but not being able to receive it; while 45.9% reported not having dental insurance, 41.5% reported not having money to pay a dentist. Fifteen percent reported never visiting a dentist. Arabic speakers, moving to the United States more recently, and lower level of education were associated with a poor oral health status and practices (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Refugees in this study encountered limited access to dental care. Their inability to seek dental care could affect their oral and general health, weaken efforts of preventing oral health diseases, and restrict their full inclusion into the community.
