Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
FLUORIDE - QUARTERLY REPORTS, cilt.58, sa.25, ss.1-9, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the nature and distribution of Instagram posts shared under the Turkish hashtag #florur, which corresponds to 'fluoride' in English. Methods: Three hundred twenty-two social media posts published in Turkish with the "florur" hashtag in 2021 were examined for this cross-sectional study. The posts were accessed from a new Instagram account using the same Instagram application on a smartphone throughout the examination to remove bias. The term 'florur' was entered into the search function, and data were collected manually. Posts were classified according to their content and the profession of the person who posted them. The content was categorized as pro-fluoride, anti-fluoride, and neutral. The topic of each group's content was identified and classified into multiple categories. Descriptive statistics were provided, including the number and percentage of data for each group. The data were statistically analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-squared test for comparison, with a significance level set at 5%. Results: Among the analyzed posts (n = 322), 81.1% (n = 261) were anti fluoride, 12.7% (n = 41) were pro-fluoride, and 6.2% (n = 20) were neutral. Of those who published anti-fluoride content, 86.5% (n = 226) were product marketers, 1.9% (n = 5) were medical doctors, and only 0.3% (n = 1) were dentists. According to content analysis, 82% (n=210) of anti-fluoride posts advertised fluoride-free products, 50% (n=129) mentioned the harms of fluoride, and 12.5% (n=32) mentioned conspiracy theories. It is noteworthy that most anti-fluoride posts were shared by non-healthcare professionals, while most pro-fluoride posts were shared by healthcare professionals (p<0.001). Conclusions: The number of Instagram posts advocating anti-fluoride views was approximately six and a half times higher than those promoting pro fluoride content. Moreover, nearly all individuals posting anti-fluoride content were not dental professionals. The majority of these posts were intended to market fluoride-free products. While many anti-fluoride posts included advertisements for fluoride-free products, commercial motivations represent only one factor within a broader discourse that also reflects scientific debate and public concern regarding fluoride use.