Shaping the Future of Dental Education: A Scoping Review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration Strategies

Abstract

Dental education is one of the fields that have been impacted by artificial intelligence (AI), with new trends such as adaptive learning, virtual simulation, and better diagnostic tools. Despite the many opportunities to use AI in curricula and clinical settings, AI integration has its limitations, highlighted by concerns and challenges such as ethical issues, current and future legal frameworks, and heterogeneity in the preparedness of educators and learners. This study presents a scoping critique of the AI initiatives in dental education and training, as well as analyses of its possibilities, effects, issues, and trends that may inform practice- and research-based curricular improvement and AI preparedness. The current research is based on data obtained from 15 studies included in the scoping review, comprising systematic reviews, observational studies, cross-sectional surveys, and literature reviews, all published in English between January 2020 and January 2024. Basic information was garnered on the features of the studies, the AI technologies and applications, the objects and samples, the results, and the limitations. Thematic synthesis identified four primary areas of focus: curriculum integration, diagnosing and clinical objectives, educators' and students' preparedness, and ethical and legislation concerns. The review also emphasizes how AI can revolutionize dental education by making learning individualized, diagnosis better, and providing new instruments in teaching. Specific conclusions focus on the recent curriculum necessity in schools, increased preparedness of educators and students, and ethical considerations of bias and data protection. However, there is still very low awareness and training among the employees, which does not support readiness. Ethical and regulatory issues are still among the most important obstacles. This paper therefore argues that only when these gaps are addressed can AI be fully integrated and begin to revolutionize dental education and practice. AI is believed to have great benefits for dentistry education and practice. To fully realize its potential, it must offer educators and students attention to some of the gaps they may not be fully prepared for, devise a set of ethical rules, and establish effective regulatory norms. The results suggest that large-scale, multicenter studies must be conducted to replicate results and explore the full potential of AI integration. This review goes beyond listing AI tools by critically assessing their effectiveness in curriculum design, diagnostic accuracy, and institutional readiness. It synthesizes thematic findings to guide future implementation and policy frameworks in dental education.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; curriculum integration; dental education; diagnostic tools; educator readiness; ethical challenges; personalized learning; regulatory frameworks.

Figure 1. PRISMA flow chart

PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Figure 2. Risk-of-bias distribution across studies

The possibility of bias in the included and compared studies was moderate to high owing to the scarcity and nature of the empirical data, geographical generalisability, and methodological quality of the studies. It would be ideal for future studies to avoid these limitations and employ large-sample research with consistent designs and a diverse patient population.