Social media practices, risk perceptions, and policy awareness among dental practitioners and trainees in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

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Background Social media has become an important component of healthcare practice, offering opportunities for communication, education, and professional engagement while introducing risks related to patient confidentiality, professional conduct, and institutional reputation. Evidence on social media practices and e-professionalism among dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia remains limited. Objective This study aimed to assess social media practices, risk perceptions, and policy awareness among dental practitioners and trainees in Saudi Arabia and to identify factors associated with variations in awareness and behavior. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 326 dental practitioners and trainees across Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire assessed social media use, risk perception using five Likert-scale items, and awareness of institutional and international guidelines. Responses were measured using a 5-point Likert agreement scale. The risk perception scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.73). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression. Results Instagram was the most commonly used platform (70.6%), and one-third of participants reported daily professional use. Risk perception was generally low, with a mean composite score of 2.88 (SD = 0.44); only 2.5% of participants had high risk perception. Awareness of guidelines was limited, with 38.0% reporting awareness of WHO guidelines, 25.2% UNESCO guidelines, and 35.9% Ministry of Health policies. Only 20.6% reported having a workplace social media policy, and 4.6% had received formal training. Although age and years of professional experience were associated with policy awareness in bivariate analyses ( p < 0.001), only years of professional experience remained independently associated with policy awareness after adjustment. Practitioners with ≥5 years of experience were significantly less likely to have low policy awareness (AOR = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22–0.76; p = 0.004). Conclusion Social media use is widespread among dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia; however, awareness of formal guidelines and institutional policies remains limited. Greater professional experience was associated with higher policy awareness, suggesting that early-career practitioners may benefit from targeted training. Strengthening education on e-professionalism and implementing clear institutional policies are essential to support the safe and ethical use of social media in dental practice.