Tracking the Debate: Geo-Temporal Sentiment Analysis of Community Water Fluoridation on ‘X’ (Formerly Twitter) With Five-Year Forecast

IF 2.9 3区医学 Q2 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

Community dentistry and oral epidemiology Pub Date : 2026-03-19 Epub Date: 2025-10-23 DOI:10.1111/cdoe.70036

Nilesh Torwane, Ratilal Lalloo, Diep Ha, Loc Do

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

This study examined country-level geo-temporal sentiment trends in community water fluoridation (CWF) discussions on ‘X’ from 2014 to 2023 and generated a five-year forecast to anticipate future shifts.

Methods

Sentiment analysis was conducted using the VADER ‘SentimentIntensityAnalyzer’, with polarity thresholds defined as negative (< −0.05), neutral (−0.05 to +0.05) and positive (> +0.05). Data were collected via the ‘X’ API and examined for sentiment distribution, country-level geo-temporal patterns based on user location information, and engagement metrics (likes, retweets, replies). Ethical approval was obtained, and only publicly available data were analysed in compliance with the platform's terms of service. Limitations include restriction to English-language tweets and the non-representativeness and demographic biases of ‘X’ users compared with national populations.

Results

Of 72 309 original tweets analysed, 37.4% were negative, 34.4% positive and 28.2% neutral. Countries with low tweet volumes (e.g., Venezuela, Cyprus, Croatia, Pakistan, Vietnam) showed predominantly positive sentiment. In contrast, high-volume countries (the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom) displayed mixed sentiment without a clear majority. Predictive modelling indicated a modest shift toward less positive sentiment polarity over the next 5 years, with average polarity projected to decrease from 0.43 in 2024 to 0.38 in 2028. Supplementary analysis of more recent tweets (Jan 2024–Aug 2025) provided further insight into emerging patterns, broadly consistent with the projected trends.

Conclusions

CWF discourse on ‘X’ is polarised and varies across countries and time. The expected decline in positivity underscores the need for tailored country-specific public health communication strategies to strengthen engagement and counter misinformation.

查看原文本刊更多论文

追踪辩论：“X”（以前的Twitter）上社区水氟化的地理-时间情感分析与五年预测。

目的：本研究调查了2014年至2023年社区水氟化（CWF）关于“X”讨论的国家级地理时间情绪趋势，并生成了一个五年预测，以预测未来的变化。方法：使用VADER ‘SentimentIntensityAnalyzer’进行情绪分析，极性阈值定义为负（+0.05）。数据通过“X”API收集，并检查情绪分布、基于用户位置信息的国家级地理时间模式和参与指标（喜欢、转发、回复）。获得了道德批准，并且仅根据平台的服务条款分析了公开可用的数据。局限性包括对英语推文的限制，以及与国家人口相比，“X”用户的非代表性和人口统计学偏差。结果：在分析的72 309条原创推文中，37.4%为负面，34.4%为正面，28.2%为中性。推特数量较少的国家（如委内瑞拉、塞浦路斯、克罗地亚、巴基斯坦、越南）主要表现出积极的情绪。相比之下，交易量大的国家（美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、巴西和英国）表现出复杂的情绪，但没有明显的多数。预测模型显示，未来5年情绪极性将向不那么积极的方向适度转变，平均极性预计将从2024年的0.43降至2028年的0.38。对近期推文（2024年1月至2025年8月）的补充分析提供了对新兴模式的进一步洞察，与预测趋势大致一致。结论：CWF关于“X”的论述是两极分化的，并且在不同的国家和时间有所不同。预期的积极性下降突出表明，需要制定针对具体国家的公共卫生传播战略，以加强参与和打击错误信息。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Community dentistry and oral epidemiology 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

8.70%

发文量

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： The aim of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology is to serve as a forum for scientifically based information in community dentistry, with the intention of continually expanding the knowledge base in the field. The scope is therefore broad, ranging from original studies in epidemiology, behavioral sciences related to dentistry, and health services research through to methodological reports in program planning, implementation and evaluation. Reports dealing with people of all age groups are welcome. The journal encourages manuscripts which present methodologically detailed scientific research findings from original data collection or analysis of existing databases. Preference is given to new findings. Confirmations of previous findings can be of value, but the journal seeks to avoid needless repetition. It also encourages thoughtful, provocative commentaries on subjects ranging from research methods to public policies. Purely descriptive reports are not encouraged, nor are behavioral science reports with only marginal application to dentistry. The journal is published bimonthly.