Integrating Generative AI in Dental Education: A Scoping Review of Current Practices and Recommendations

Background

Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT are increasingly relevant in dental education, offering potential enhancements in personalised learning and clinical reasoning. However, specific guidance from dental institutions remains unexplored.

Aim

To identify, analyse and summarise existing guidelines from universities and organisations on using GenAI in dental education, focusing on recommendations for academic staff.

Methods

A scoping review (10.17605/OSF.IO/3XMP7) searched for GenAI guidance on university websites, search engines (Google Search, Scholar, Perplexity and PubMed) and through contacting relevant academics (January 2022 to June 2024). Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data, including implementation details, AI tools and permitted/prohibited uses. Thematic analysis revealed common applications, benefits, challenges and recommendations.

Results

Thirty-one unique documents were included from 21 universities in 15 countries and three international organisations. Thematic analysis identified common applications, benefits, challenges and recommendations for integrating GenAI, including facilitating teaching and learning, personalised learning, efficient content creation and encouraging critical thinking. However, challenges such as academic integrity, ethical use, bias and privacy issues were also identified. No dental education-specific guidelines were found.

Conclusion

This review identified and summarised existing GenAI guidelines from universities and organisations relevant to dental education. The guidelines emphasise ethical use, transparency, academic integrity, secure environments and AI misuse detection tools. However, the absence of dental specific guidance presents an opportunity to fill this gap, providing recommendations for academic staff to integrate GenAI effectively while promoting critical thinking and responsible AI use.