Readiness to use artificial intelligence: a comparative study among dental faculty members and students

Artificial intelligence (AI) is prone to become a key element in dentistry, especially education and practice. Understanding the dental students' perspectives, who will be the next generation of practitioners, is crucial for effective technology integration in practice and education. This study explored the attitudes of dental faculty members and students in Iran toward AI.

This descriptive-analytical study, conducted in 2024 at Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, involved dental faculty members and students. Participants completed the Persian version of the 22-item Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness Scale (MAIRS) to assess AI readiness across cognition, ability, insight, and ethics domains. Nonparametric tests, including the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, analyzed the data, with significance set at p < 0.05, using SPSS v.26 software.

The study involved 36 faculty members and 205 dental students from Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. Results indicated that faculty members had a significantly higher AI readiness score (2.99 ± 0.66) compared to students (2.36 ± 2.56, p < 0.001). No demographic factors significantly correlated with AI readiness among faculty members. Among students, only university entrance exam rank showed a significant correlation with readiness scores (p = 0.03). Both groups scored highest in the ethics domain, highlighting a greater sensitivity to ethical issues compared to other domains.

Our study highlights a readiness gap between faculty members and students. This gap emphasizes the need for a comprehensive AI-focused educational curriculum that enhances theoretical and practical competencies, prepares future dental professionals for an AI-driven healthcare landscape, and offers professional development for faculty members.

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