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Effects of Generative AI-Supported Virtual Reality Dental Skill Training on Learning Performance, Visual Behavior,
Yuting Wen1,2, Chang Wen1,3, Siyu Huang1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Background:
The rapid advancement of AI, particularly generative AI (GenAI), is reshaping educational paradigms. However, its utility in preclinical digital medical skills education remains insufficiently explored.
Objective:
This study aims to investigate whether GenAI‑assisted training yields superior performance relative to traditional instruction in virtual reality (VR)-supported preclinical dental skill education.
Methods:
A total of 123 eligible students from a top‑tier Chinese university completed the trial. Participants were stratified by baseline theoretical scores and randomly assigned within each stratum into two arms: the GenAI-assisted group (n=62) received ChatGPT guidance without human tutoring, with research assistants monitoring AI outputs solely for safety and error checking; the teacher-led control group (n=61) received on-site instructor guidance. Both groups underwent standardized VR-based dental skill training for 7 days. Assessments included dental operative skill examinations, functional near-infrared spectroscopy recording, continuous eye-tracking monitoring, visual-spatial ability tests, and questionnaires measuring self-regulated learning, learning emotions, and engagement.
Results:
As the primary outcome, there was a statistically significant intergroup difference in operative test scores between the control group (mean 67.39, SD 16) and the GenAI‑assisted group (mean 77.25, SD 11.86), with the GenAI‑assisted group exhibiting higher operative test scores relative to the control group (t110.56=3.88, Cohen d=0.70; P<.001). For secondary outcomes, the GenAI‑assisted group also demonstrated significantly lower cognitive‑load indicators (mean 0.180, SD 0.136) than the control group (mean 0.346, SD 0.150; P<.001), accompanied by more efficient visual attention allocation patterns and stronger activation in prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, visual association cortex, and temporoparietal junction brain regions. The GenAI‑assisted group showed better performance across low (P=.003), medium (P=.004), and high (P=.004) level visual-spatial ability tests. Among low-achieving participants, the largest between-group difference in self-regulated learning was found in favor of the GenAI-assisted group (P=.02). Better scores were also observed for the GenAI‑assisted group in learning enjoyment, as well as behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement.
Conclusions:
Students randomized to GenAI-assisted training had higher immediate operative scores than students receiving teacher-led instruction. Secondary cognitive, behavioral, and neurophysiological findings were exploratory and pointed toward a link between GenAI exposure and variations in skill‑acquisition metrics among dental students receiving VR-based training. The results offer preliminary insights regarding the potential integration of GenAI into preclinical dental skill education.
Trial Registration:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2500110063; https://tinyurl.com/2hkv5wt9.