Media Health Literacy and Discernment of Fake News in Dentistry: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background Media health literacy (MHL) has been increasingly recognized as an important skill in identifying false or misleading health information on the internet. Although this association has been explored in medicine and public health, few studies have focused specifically on dentistry. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between MHL levels and the ability to discern fake news in the field of dentistry. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 240 participants recruited using a snowball sampling strategy. The participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), and a custom-designed fake news questionnaire addressing dental topics. Descriptive analysis, the Mann–Whitney test, and linear regression models were used to identify associations between variables. Results Among the 240 participants, 75.8% were female and 65.9% were between 24 and 39 years of age. Most participants had a monthly income more than R$4,000 and 49.6% held postgraduate degrees. The median eHEALS score was 32 (maximum of 40), whereas the median fake news discernment score was 3 out of 8. Higher MHL levels (eHEALS scores) were significantly associated with having a postgraduate degree, income over R$8,000, and being a healthcare professional, particularly a dentist (p < 0.05). The regression analysis showed that occupation and eHEALS score were significant predictors of the ability to discern fake news. Conclusions Higher media health literacy is associated with a greater ability to recognize misinformation in dentistry. Even among dental professionals, gaps in the critical assessment of online content persist. Educational strategies aimed at improving MHL should be prioritized to enhance public and professional discernment, mitigate the spread of fake news, and promote informed decision-making in oral health.