WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND HOW MUCH ARE PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS AWARE OF IT?

Abstract

The term “Artificial intelligence” (AI) refers to machines that can perform certain tasks like humans. Machine learning (ML) is an AI subdomain that “learns” intrinsic statistical patterns in large data to make predictions on previously unseen data. The current paper aims to give the reader a basic understanding of AI and its use to improve clinical practice and also to study the knowledge, and awareness of private practitioners about AI. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional survey-based study on full-time dental practitioners not involved in academics. Pre-validated questionnaires were used and collected data by visiting their clinics. Results: Out of 124 participants, the majority were males 104 (83.9 %), and only 20(16.1%) were females. Only 34 (27.4%) agreed they were aware of AI, while 68(54.8%) were not. Results showed 58% of the participants were not using AI in their clinics and only 8.1% were using more than 4 applications of AI in their clinics. The majority (75.8%) got awareness about AI through social media. Conclusion: Private practitioners are not well educated about the use of AI in dentistry.