Knowledge, attitude, and perceptions towards artificial intelligence among dental students of faculty of dentistry, Tanta University, Egypt

Abstract Background: In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has captured significant attention within the field of dentistry. The adoption of AI-based technology in daily dental practice has surged, enabling dental practitioners to utilize AI applications for patient diagnosis and treatment planning. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards AI among dental students of Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was adopted using an English language online-based questionnaire that was sent to undergraduate dental students and interns, in the Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions that were created using Microsoft form and was disseminated through several open social media groups of dental students. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were implemented with IBM SPSS version 29. Results: The response rate was 93.53% (n = 347). Of those, about 50.1% of participants know the basic principles of how AI works and 50.4% of participants are aware of the use of AI in dentistry. Most participants (88.2%) agreed that AI is predicted to improve dentistry. 66% of participants disagreed that dentists could one day be replaced by AI. In addition, 82.4 and 72.3% of the participants agreed that AI could be utilized for radiological detection of dental caries and diagnosing periodontal diseases, respectively. Conclusions: Based on the present study results, dentistry students in Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University, are eager to embrace AI technology in the near future and believe it would aid in diagnosis and treatment. Dental curricula must include AI technology so that students can learn about these innovative technologies.