Good question. As it turns out, just about everything.
Let me tell you why.
This week I posted on social media a study linking periodontal disease to chronic kidney disease.
The response? It is the first time our Facebook page for Partners in Prevention got 100 “likes” in 24 hours. There were also 41 “shares”.
To put this in context, the average Facebook page for a Canadian dental practice has fewer than 100 likes in total.
So why this significant response from the community?
First, there are 3 million Canadian adults with chronic kidney disease. It is a big problem which rarely gets attention.
Second, there was a solution inside the post — good oral health will contribute to better management of this disease. So says the study which was cited in the posting.
Third, social media is largely about helping others. It used to be about the cute grandchild, or the silly video about the cat in the sewer pipe.
No longer. Social media is about learning for ourselves and sharing what we learn with others. It’s about getting a second opinion or connecting someone you know (with chronic kidney disease) to a solution.
Dentistry remains largely isolated from social media, and thereby its community. Less than 5% of dentists have an active Facebook page. And virtually no dental team, other than the Partners in Prevention, is talking about chronic kidney disease.
By Ross Perry
SOURCED: Partners In Prevention
