THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN DENTAL EDUCATION: EVALUATING STUDENT PERCEPTION

Enikö Gabriela Papp, Victoria Nyulas, Carmen Galea, Gabriel G. Condurache

DOI : 10.62610/RJOR.2026.3.18.9

ABSTRACT

Aim of study : The aim of the study was to compare the use of artificial intelligence among preclinical and clinical-year medical students Material and methods : A total of 142 students enrolled in Years I–VI at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of Dimitrie Cantemir University participated in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions, of which 13 were closed-ended questions with predefined answers and 2 were open-ended questions. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Differences between sexes were assessed using the Mann–Whitney U test for ordinal variables and Pearson’s chi-square test for categorical variables. Results : Most students (87.3%) reported previous use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for academic activities. The most frequently reported purposes were summarizing scientific articles (71.1%) and explaining medical concepts (57.0%), while research (69.0%) was the most commonly identified area in which AI could be useful. Several differences were observed according to sex. Female students reported a different perceived contribution of AI to understanding dental concepts compared with male students (p=0.032) and were more likely to report previous academic use of AI (100.0% vs. 82.7%, p=0.014). Conclusions : Overall, AI use was common among the surveyed dental students, although patterns of use and selected perceptions varied according to sex and year of study. Differences across study years did not follow a consistent linear pattern.