Ann Arbor, MI — March 6, 2012 — “I am impressed with the staying power of this project,” said Dr. Lynn Johnson, assistant dean for Informatics and Innovation, as she talked about the School of Dentistry’s YouTube Channel as it recently surpassed 7 million viewers.

First offered on its YouTube Channel more than three years ago, the School’s videos continue to gain popularity.  Worldwide, more than 8,500 subscribers have viewed nearly 900 videos that have been digitized for online access.  The videos, initially recorded on videotape during the 1970s in the School’s television studios, were stored in boxes for years.  With digital preservation technology emerging, content was electronically transferred to make the videos easily accessible to the global learning community.

By topic, Removal of Carious Lesions has been most viewed, more than 339,000 times, followed by Scaling and Root Planing: Part II Mandibular Teeth, 174,000 views; and Local Anesthetic Injection Techniques, 154,000 views.

The most frequent visitors to the School’s YouTube Channel are from the U.S., 1.9 million; India, approximately 457,000; the United Kingdom, 352,000; Canada, 284,000; and Egypt, 283,000.  Other countries in the top 10 are Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the Philippines, and Italy.

About half of the viewers are dental students, the other half are dental practitioners.  The vast majority of viewers in all countries range in age from 25 to 54. 

With the growing popularity of social media, patients, students, and practitioners of all ages worldwide are discovering the value of the School of Dentistry’s online content.  The School has received countless messages over the years acknowledging the importance of the videos and their contributions to learning and enhancing patient care.