Artificial intelligence-assisted full-mouth radiograph mounting in dental education.

Abstract

With the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the significant research gap in the application of AI within dentistry, this study aimed to (1) evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of dental students in full-mouth radiograph series (FMS) mounting with and without AI assistance, and (2) assess dental students' perceptions of AI in clinical education to address the impact of AI in dental education. An AI-based interface for mounting radiographs on FMS templates was designed and implemented in the study. Forty third-year dental students were randomly assigned to control and test groups. The control group manually mounted FMS radiographs, while the test group reviewed AI-pre-mounted radiographs for adjustments. Students' performance in efficiency and accuracy was evaluated. Pre- and post-study surveys were conducted to gauge students' confidence levels and opinions regarding the usefulness of the AI-assisted program. The test group (using AI) demonstrated significantly faster radiograph mounting times than the control group (manual) (p<0.05). Accuracy was lower in the test groups, when comparing AI-assisted and manual mounting of FMS (p<0.01). Self-confidence and confidence in AI were consistent between the control and test groups, both before and after the study. Students with AI presented with a decreased accuracy in FMS radiograph mounting. Therefore, AI automation could potentially have negative impacts in a learning environment with inexperienced clinicians.