Dentists' perception of Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Dentistry: a cross-sectional study in Karachi, Pakistan
Dentists' perception of Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Dentistry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52442/jrmi.v12i3.1128Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Clinical Dentistry, Dentists, Oral HealthAbstract
Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming clinical dentistry by supporting diagnostic assessment, treatment planning, workflow optimization, and patient management.
Objective: To assess knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and concerns of dentists regarding the application of artificial intelligence in clinical dentistry and its perceived impact on oral health, treatment quality, and the dentist–patient relationship.
Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2024, among 118 dentists from dental institutions and private clinics of Karachi, Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic data, prior dental care experiences with AI, knowledge and digital awareness, perceived pros and cons, as well as experiences regarding the potential impact of AI on oral health, treatment quality and dentist–patient relationship. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Of 118 participants, 61.0% had an average understanding of AI while 72.0% had an average understanding of the digital world. About 50.8% thought AI helped in enhancing oral health and 41.5% believed it enhanced treatment quality. Data security (18.6%), new challenges for doctors and patients (17.8%) and workforce implications (16.1%) were commonly reported concerns. The most common perceived benefit was a good doctor–patient relationship (35.6%). Perceived importance of oral health (p=0.021), previous dental treatment (p=0.035), AI related concerns (p=0.029), advantages of AI (p=0.015), improvement in treatment quality (p=0.026) and oral health (p=0.018) were statistically significant.
Conclusion: The perceptions of dentists regarding AI were generally positive, with a cautious stance toward the use of AI in clinical dentistry. The results highlight the necessity for systematic education about AI, hands-on experience and robust data security systems to facilitate responsible integration in clinical practice.
References
Shan T, Tay FR, Gu L. Application of artificial intelligence in dentistry. J Dent Res. 2021; 100:232-44. DOI: 10.1177/0022034520969115.
Hegde S, Nanayakkara S, Jordan A, Jeha O, Patel U, Luu V, et al. Attitudes and perceptions of Australian dentists and dental students towards applications of artificial intelligence in dentistry: a survey. Eur J Dent Educ. 2025;29(1):9-18. DOI: 10.1111/eje.13042.
Meghil MM, Rajpurohit P, Awad ME, McKee J, Shahoumi LA, Ghaly M. Artificial intelligence in dentistry. Dent Rev. 2022; 2:100009. DOI: 10.1016/j.dentre.2021.100009.
Schwendicke FA, Samek W, Krois J. Artificial intelligence in dentistry: chances and challenges. J Dent Res. 2020; 99:769-74. DOI: 10.1177/0022034520915714.
Schwendicke F, Krois J. Data dentistry: how data are changing clinical care and research. J Dent Res. 2022; 101:21-9. DOI:10.1177/00220345211020265.
Jain P, Wynne C. Artificial intelligence and big data in dentistry. In: Digitization in Dentistry: Clinical Applications. 2021. p.1-28. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65169-5_1.
Carrillo-Perez F, Pecho OE, Morales JC, Paravina RD, Bona AD, Ghinea R, et al. Applications of artificial intelligence in dentistry: a comprehensive review. J Esthet Restor Dent. 2022; 34(1):259-80. DOI: 10.1111/jerd.12844.
Chen YW, Stanley K, Att W. Artificial intelligence in dentistry: current applications and future perspectives. Quintessence Int. 2020; 51:248-57. DOI: 10.3290/j.qi.a43952.
Sadegh-Zadeh SA, Bagheri M. Harnessing the power of clinical data in dentistry: importance and guidelines for dentists in AI modelling for enhanced patient care. Open J Clin Med Images. 2024; 4:1188. DOI:10.52768/2833-2725/1188.
Feher B, Tussie C, Giannobile WV. Applied artificial intelligence in dentistry: emerging data modalities and modeling approaches. Front Artif Intell. 2024; 23:1427517. DOI:10.3389/frai.2024.1427517.
Pethani F. Promises and perils of artificial intelligence in dentistry. Aust Dent J. 2021; 66:124-35. DOI: 10.1111/adj.12812.
Fatima A, Shafi I, Afzal H, Díez IT, Lourdes DRM, Breñosa J, et al. Advancements in dentistry with artificial intelligence: current clinical applications and future perspectives. Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(11):2188. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10112188.
Zia W, Kashif M, Aleem A, Raja IM, Rehman A, Butt AI. Knowledge, attitudes and perception towards artificial intelligence and robotics in dentistry: a cross-sectional survey. J Liaquat Univ Med Health Sci. 2024;23(1):75-80. DOI: 10.22442/jlumhs.2024.01079.
AR Budida HS, SA Kumar PDM, Aparna S, Madan Kumar PD. Knowledge, attitude, and perception/practice towards artificial intelligence among dental students and dental professionals – a systematic review. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2024;11(11):4450-65. DOI: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20243310.
Jeong H, Han SS, Jung HI, Lee W, Jeon KJ. Perceptions and attitudes of dental students and dentists in South Korea toward artificial intelligence: a subgroup analysis based on professional seniority. BMC Med Educ. 2024;24(1):430. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05441-y.
Iftikhar S, Khan AD, Anjum S, Awais M, Ajmal MA, Mirza AF, et al. Exploring knowledge and perception of artificial intelligence in teaching dental hospitals of Peshawar: a cross-sectional study. Cureus. 2025;17(11):e97935. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.97935.
Dashti M, Londono J, Ghasemi S, Khurshid Z, Khosraviani F, Moghaddasi N, et al. Attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of dentists and dental students toward artificial intelligence: a systematic review. J Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2024;19(2):327-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2023.12.010.
Tirapelli C, Gaêta-Araújo H, Costa ED, Scarfe WC, Oliveira-Santos C, Fischer KM, et al. Patient perceptions of artificial intelligence in dental imaging diagnostics: a multicentre survey. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2025;54(6):427-36. DOI: 10.1093/dmfr/twaf018.
Kostov II, Yordanova GR. Attitudes of dentists and patients towards the introduction of artificial intelligence in dentistry. J Med Life. 2025;18(5):472-7. DOI: 10.25122/jml-2024-0382.
Ayad N, Schwendicke F, Krois J, van den Bosch S, Bergé S, Bohner L, et al. Patients’ perspectives on the use of artificial intelligence in dentistry: a regional survey. Head Face Med. 2023;19(1):23. DOI: 10.1186/s13005-023-00368-z.
Bahadir HS, Keskin NB, Çakmak EŞK, Güneç G, Cesur Aydin K, Peker F. Patients’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence in dentistry and their trust in dentists. Oral Radiol. 2025;41(1):52-9. DOI:10.1007/s11282-024-00775-1.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Rehman Medical Institute
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
