Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on dental education: Benefits, challenges, and future directions - A systematic review of the literature.

Authors

Zohreh Khoshgoftar, Salma Ghaiyoomi, Arezoo Alaee

Published in

Journal of education and health promotion. Volume 15. Pages 343. Epub Aug 31, 2026.

Abstract

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in dental education is a profound opportunity, spurred on by unprecedented technological change. It should be revamped in a way that supports immense capabilities, improves efficiency, and provides learning opportunities, but also has constraints that need to be understood. Thus, in this article, we discuss the benefits and challenges involved in adapting AI into dental education, as well as methods to improve the application of AI to enhance learning for students and instructors. We reviewed a total of 73 articles from multiple databases, including PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Through our review of articles from the past five years (2018-2024), the selected studies were evaluated based on relevance, recency, and credibility, which were sometimes difficult to distinguish between. We ultimately found 56 articles that met the above criteria for relevance. Using several combinations, we selected the relevant articles based on the keyword descriptions: AI in dentistry, AI in health care, deep learning in dentistry, machine learning in dentistry, AI in medical education, AI in dental education, AI constraints, and AI with dental students. Anything that was outdated, lacked credibility, or seemed to have redundant information was removed. Taken together, we reflect on the fact that AI has very exciting implications to innovate dental education, and the obstacles to broad-scale adoption can be overcome with responsible use and oversight. In conclusion, AI is a vital part of the contemporary dental curriculum and provides the potential for positive educational and clinical outcomes. AI provides an essential educational tool in the dental education curriculum for better teaching, learning, and patient care outcomes. If utilized effectively, then by identifying the limitations and guiding students on its ethical use, AI can narrow educational gaps and help students and mentors achieve better outcomes clinically and academically.

PMID:
42829683
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Oct 2026.

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