Using a Virtual Patient via an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot to Develop Dental Students’ Diagnostic Skills

Ana Suárez, Alberto Adanero, Víctor Díaz-Flores García, Yolanda Freire and Juan Algar
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Ana Suárez: Department of Preclinical Dentistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Alberto Adanero: Department of Clinical Dentistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Víctor Díaz-Flores García: Department of Preclinical Dentistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Yolanda Freire: Department of Preclinical Dentistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Juan Algar: Department of Clinical Dentistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: Knowing how to diagnose effectively and efficiently is a fundamental skill that a good dental professional should acquire. If students perform a greater number of clinical cases, they will improve their performance with patients. In this sense, virtual patients with artificial intelligence offer a controlled, stimulating, and safe environment for students. To assess student satisfaction after interaction with an artificially intelligent chatbot that recreates a virtual patient, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in which a virtual patient was created with artificial intelligence in the form of a chatbot and presented to fourth and fifth year dental students. After several weeks interacting with the AI, they were given a survey to find out their assessment. A total of 193 students participated. A large majority of the students were satisfied with the interaction (mean 4.36), the fifth year students rated the interaction better and showed higher satisfaction values. The students who reached a correct diagnosis rated this technology more positively. Our research suggests that the incorporation of this technology in dental curricula would be positively valued by students and would also ensure their training and adaptation to new technological developments.

Keywords: artificial intelligent; chatbot; virtual patient; diagnosis; dental students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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