Are Dental Students Ready For Artificial Intelligence? Evaluation Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceived Concerns Among Clinical-Year Students

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to multidimensionally evaluate clinical-period dental students' awareness, knowledge levels, attitudes, expectations, and potential concerns regarding AI applications. Methods: The study population consisted of fourth and fifth-year students in the clinical training period at the Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. Items related to attitudes and opinions were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale. Categorical variables were compared between groups using Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. The SPSS (IBM Corp. Released 2017. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) program was used for statistical analyses, and a significance level of p<0.05 was accepted. Results: Of the 200 students who participated in the study, 43.5% reported positive awareness of AI. The highest positive views were observed for radiographic caries assessment (82.5%) and implant planning (81.5%). A significant difference was found between classes in terms of the necessity of informed consent (p=0.035). Conclusion: Clinical-period dental students generally have a positive attitude toward AI and believe it will make significant contributions, particularly in education and clinical applications. The findings highlight the need to integrate structured AI content into dental education programs.

Keywords

• Artificial intelligence
• dental students
• dental education

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