Dental students' knowledge, perceptions, and educational needs regarding artificial intelligence: a multinational...

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Undergraduate dental curricula are evolving to incorporate emerging technologies.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly impacting healthcare, necessitating an understanding among future dental professionals.
• Assessing dental students' current AI knowledge and perceptions is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate undergraduate dental students' awareness and understanding of artificial intelligence (AI).
• To explore students' perceptions, concerns, and attitudes towards AI in dentistry.
• To identify specific educational needs and preferences for AI integration in dental programs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, anonymous online survey was administered to dental students globally.
• The questionnaire assessed AI knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and ethical considerations.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and ordinal logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Over 500 students participated, with most expressing general AI familiarity but limited knowledge of dental applications (34.7%).
• A majority supported AI education (70.3%) and felt unprepared by current curricula (53.7%).
• Students recognized AI's potential benefits in diagnostics, clinical practice, and patient care, alongside concerns about skill reduction and dehumanization.

Conclusions:

• Baseline data on dental students' AI knowledge and educational needs were established.
• A significant gap exists between general AI awareness and understanding of its specific dental applications.
• Structured, tailored AI educational programs are essential to bridge knowledge gaps and inform curriculum integration.