*Corresponding Author: Amel Amara, Hospital Mateur, Department of Dental Medicine, 7000 Bizerte, Tunisia.

Received: October 01, 2026; Published: October 21, 2026

Background: The increasing use of social media in dentistry has created new opportunities for professional communication, oral health education, patient engagement, and practice promotion. However, it also raises ethical concerns related to confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, online communication, and commercial promotion. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of dentists practicing in Tunisia regarding the ethical use of social media and its implications for the dentist–patient relationship.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among licensed dentists practicing in Tunisia between July 1 and August 1, 2025. An anonymous self-administered online questionnaire was distributed through professional dental social media groups and networks using convenience sampling. The questionnaire assessed sociodemographic and professional characteristics, knowledge of ethical principles and e-professionalism, attitudes toward social media use, and professional practices. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings.

Results: A total of 103 dentists completed the questionnaire. Most participants were female (83.3%), and 57.8% worked in the public sector. Although 83.3% recognized that online promotion of dental services may be subject to legal and ethical restrictions, only 48.0% reported awareness of existing ethical guidelines and 28.4% were familiar with the concept of e-professionalism. Most participants (86.3%) recognized the importance of written consent before sharing identifiable patient information online. Regarding attitudes, 66.7% supported the use of social media for oral health education, whereas 84.3% reported difficulty distinguishing educational content from commercial promotion. Only 29.4% reported having a professional social media account. Among participants with such accounts, Facebook and Instagram were the most commonly used platforms. Most participants reported limited interaction with patients through social media and infrequent publication of professional content.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that Tunisian dentists recognize several fundamental ethical principles related to social media but demonstrate limited familiarity with the broader concept of e-professionalism. The observed differences between ethical awareness and self-reported digital practices highlight the need for structured education, practical guidance, and institutional policies addressing confidentiality, consent, professional boundaries, communication, and online promotion. Further studies should evaluate educational interventions and develop context-specific guidance for ethical social media use in Tunisian dentistry.

Keywords: Social Media; Dentistry; E-Professionalism; Ethics; Confidentiality; Informed Consent; Dentist–Patient Relationship

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Citation

Citation: Amel Amara., et al. “A Cross-Sectional KAP Study of Dentists’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Social Media: Ethical Consider- ations in the Dentist–Patient Relationship". Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 10.11 (2026): 39-47.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Amel Amara., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.