Aplicação das mídias sociais como ferramenta auxiliar no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de estudantes de Odontologia: ensaio clínico randomizado

Abstract

The strategic use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may enhance the teaching–learning process by supporting students in knowledge acquisition and educators in the dissemination of educational content as a complement to conventional teaching methods. This study consisted of a single-blind randomized clinical trial conducted with 99 dental students allocated into three groups: G1 (control), exposed exclusively to conventional teaching in Oral Radiology; G2 (passive consumption experimental group), which participated in conventional teaching combined with access to supplementary content made available through social media; and G3 (active consumption experimental group), which, in addition to conventional teaching, was responsible for producing and sharing educational content on social media platforms. The aim was to evaluate the impact of integrating social media into Oral Radiology education compared with the conventional teaching approach. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and students’ perceptions regarding the benefits and potential negative repercussions of these platforms in the academic environment were also investigated. No significant differences were observed in post-intervention cognitive performance among the groups, with mean scores of 75 ± 12 for G1, 76 ± 11 for G2, and 78 ± 11 for G3 (p = 0.592). Regarding usage patterns, the findings confirmed that social media is well established in students’ academic routines: all participants had active social media accounts, with Instagram being the most frequently used platform (100%), followed by WhatsApp (92.9%) and YouTube (86.9%), and 85% of students reported using these platforms for more than six years. Students acknowledged several educational benefits, including easier access to information (92.9%), opportunities for exchanging opinions (85.9%), more practical (84.8%) and engaging learning experiences (78.8%), and greater academic autonomy (61.6%). Conversely, negative impacts were also identified, with distraction being the main concern (90.9%), followed by excessive time consumption (73.7%) and the potential for addiction (72.7%). It was concluded that the incorporation of social media as a complementary educational tool did not produce measurable improvements in students' cognitive performance when compared with the conventional teaching approach alone. However, considering their widespread integration into students’ academic routines and the perceived benefits related to access to information, interaction, and learner autonomy, social media may represent a valuable complementary strategy for the teaching–learning process in specific contexts, provided that their use is carefully planned and aligned with educational objectives.