Performance of five large language models in managing acute dental pain: A comprehensive analysis

While LLMs can benefit patient care, research, and education in healthcare sector, they also pose risks such as misinformation dissemination, privacy breaches, and data bias (2,3).In recent years, AI has gained significant traction in dentistry, especially in answering questions in several areas such as dental trauma, maxillofacial surgery, and pediatric dentistry (4,5).LLMs have emerged as an effective tool to facilitate easier access to best practices in dentistry by pro-Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate and compare five large language models (LLMs) used in the pharmacologic management of acute dental pain based on the following parameters: Comprehensiveness, scientific accuracy, clarity, relevance, and similarity of information they provide.Methods: For this study, 20 open-ended questions were asked from five LLMs, namely ChatGPT-4.0,Gemini Advanced, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity, and their responses were evaluated by two experts based on American Dental Association guidelines.Their scores ranged from 0 to 10, and the iThenticate program was used to assess the similarity indices.Statistical analyses included the Friedman and Dunn tests, with significance level set at p < 0.05. Results:Claude and ChatGPT-4o scored the highest in terms of comprehensiveness, scientific accuracy, clarity, and relevance, while Copilot and Perplexity scored the lowest.Claude had the lowest similarity index (3 5 %), and ChatGPT-4o had the highest (7 8 %).Statistical analysis showed significant differences among the five LLMs (p < 0.001).While Claude, ChatGPT-4o, and Gemini Advanced performed in similar ways, they significantly outperformed Copilot and Perplexity. Conclusion:According to the findings of this study, Claude and ChatGPT-4o provided the most accurate and comprehensive responses; however, LLMs cannot replace clinical guidelines.These findings highlight the potential of LLMs in supporting clinicians and underscore the scope for further improvement.