Quality and Reliability of YouTube Videos on the Periodontal Tunnel Technique and Their Coverage of Procedure-Specific Content: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- 1Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Adıyaman Üniversitesi, Adıyaman, TUR.
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the quality, reliability, and informational content of YouTube videos (Alphabet Inc., Mountain View, California, United States) related to the periodontal tunnel technique and to examine technique-specific surgical content coverage. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study included 22 YouTube videos that met the inclusion criteria. The videos were independently evaluated by three periodontists using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, DISCERN, and a study-specific 16-item Tunnel Content Score developed with reference to the literature and expert consensus. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Fleiss' κ. Mean scores from the three reviewers were used in the main analyses. Associations between quality scores and video engagement metrics were assessed using Spearman correlation analysis, and differences according to uploader type were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results Inter-rater reliability was moderate for GQS and JAMA and excellent for DISCERN and the Tunnel Content Score. Median scores were 3.00 for GQS, 1.00 for JAMA, 38.00 for DISCERN, and 10.17 for the Tunnel Content Score. GQS was strongly correlated with DISCERN (ρ=0.737; p<0.001), while DISCERN was moderately correlated with the Tunnel Content Score (ρ=0.494; p=0.026). No significant associations were found between video engagement metrics and quality scores, and no significant differences were observed according to uploader type (all p>0.05). Tunnel preparation and papilla preservation were included in all videos, whereas postoperative care and complications were absent. Recession classification (9.1%) and indications (31.8%) were less frequently represented. Conclusion YouTube videos related to the periodontal tunnel technique showed variability in quality, reliability, and content coverage. Technical procedural steps were more prominently represented, whereas content related to clinical decision-making and postoperative patient management was more limited. Therefore, these videos may be considered supplementary materials supporting structured clinical education and scientific sources. Studies with larger samples may contribute to supporting these findings.
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BibTeX
@article{altug2026quality,
title = {{Quality and Reliability of YouTube Videos on the Periodontal Tunnel Technique and Their Coverage of Procedure-Specific Content: A Cross-Sectional Study.}},
author = {Sahin Altug and Huseyin Akilli and Zeliha Basak Cakir Erdil and Metin Calisir},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116932},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928944},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Quality and Reliability of YouTube Videos on the Periodontal Tunnel Technique and Their Coverage of Procedure-Specific Content: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AU - Sahin Altug
AU - Huseyin Akilli
AU - Zeliha Basak Cakir Erdil
AU - Metin Calisir
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116932
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928944
AB - Objective This study aimed to evaluate the quality, reliability, and informational content of YouTube videos (Alphabet Inc., Mountain View, California, United States) related to the periodontal tunnel technique and to examine technique-specific surgical content coverage. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study included 22 YouTube videos that met the inclusion criteria. The videos were independently evaluated by three periodontists using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, DISCERN, and a study-specific 16-item Tunnel Content Score developed with reference to the literature and expert consensus. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Fleiss' κ. Mean scores from the three reviewers were used in the main analyses. Associations between quality scores and video engagement metrics were assessed using Spearman correlation analysis, and differences according to uploader type were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results Inter-rater reliability was moderate for GQS and JAMA and excellent for DISCERN and the Tunnel Content Score. Median scores were 3.00 for GQS, 1.00 for JAMA, 38.00 for DISCERN, and 10.17 for the Tunnel Content Score. GQS was strongly correlated with DISCERN (ρ=0.737; p<0.001), while DISCERN was moderately correlated with the Tunnel Content Score (ρ=0.494; p=0.026). No significant associations were found between video engagement metrics and quality scores, and no significant differences were observed according to uploader type (all p>0.05). Tunnel preparation and papilla preservation were included in all videos, whereas postoperative care and complications were absent. Recession classification (9.1%) and indications (31.8%) were less frequently represented. Conclusion YouTube videos related to the periodontal tunnel technique showed variability in quality, reliability, and content coverage. Technical procedural steps were more prominently represented, whereas content related to clinical decision-making and postoperative patient management was more limited. Therefore, these videos may be considered supplementary materials supporting structured clinical education and scientific sources. Studies with larger samples may contribute to supporting these findings.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -