AI-Powered ChatGPT in Dental Practice: A Meteoric Rise

Introduction

The last ten years have seen the emergence of more recent technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which are revolutionizing several fields of engineering as well as healthcare delivery systems. Artificial intelligence (AI) functions by emulating the human brain to perform tasks or achieve results that typically rely on human intelligence.¹ In contrast, machine learning (ML) is centered around developing and employing algorithms capable of learning from previous occurrences. This comprises aspects of underlying techniques that require tweaking, including the number of neurons and layers in a neural network technique. In genetic algorithms, this includes the population size, mutation rate, and crossing-over rate.^2,3

With the advancement of AI, new frontiers like ChatGPT (Chat–Generative Pretrained Transformer) are becoming more and more popular. It is an Optimizing Language Model for Dialogue, a new AI chatbot that is trained to follow instructions in a prompt and provide a detailed response.^4,5 It also uses algorithms to analyze a massive corpus of text, often scraped from the internet, to respond to user requests.

Unlike other previous AI chatbots, ChatGPT can answer queries, also can answer follow-up questions, admit their mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. This was launched by San Francisco-based OpenAI on 30th November 2022. Large data sets, natural language processing, and neural networks with strong prediction capabilities are all combined in this technology. It can be applied to visual interpretation, language translation, and text generation. A novel approach to enhancing patient-centered care has been the introduction of a variety of chatbots, which essentially aim to increase the effectiveness and caliber of primary healthcare service delivery, including counseling and health education while utilizing the fewest possible human resources.^6,7

Chatbots are available in various fields of healthcare systems.⁸ However, application of these technologies in dental practices is still in the initial phases. Even though various questions are present regarding its use, it is useful for the diagnosis of various skeletal and dental conditions, telecommunication or teledentistry, and recommendations of various treatment options or facilities. Therefore this review focused on providing a comprehensive summary of the prospects and advances of chatGPT and its various aspects in dentistry.

What is Chatbot?

The latest advancement in AI technology is known as chatbots, occasionally labeled as smart bots, digital assistants, interactive agents, or artificial conversation creatures.⁹ It finds applications in business, education, information retrieval, and e-commerce, demonstrating the ability to replicate human intelligence.¹⁰ The chatbot behavior model was put forth by Zhang et al., as a theoretical framework to direct the development and assessment of these technologies. This includes establishing the chatbot's quality, comprehending the user's context, cultivating interpersonal skills, constructing a convincing conversational capacity, and assessing procedures and results.

These classifications can be determined by factors such as the knowledge domain, the provided service, the goals, input processing, and the method of response generation.¹¹

ChatGPT

The emergence of ChatGPT has changed the landscape of the latest advancements in the field of engineering and robotics. It has the potential to bridge gap in the field of research and nanotechnology, which uses cases of highly advanced AI providing a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism.

The era of ChatGPT began with the evolution of Natural language processing (NLP) technologies that led to the first-generation generative pre-trained transformer (GPT-1) language model. This generation of ChatGPT uses large-scale training by using unsupervised transformer language models.¹⁴ The second generation of ChatGPT (GPT-2) consisted of five minor improvements that resulted in the increase in the training textual data to 40 GB, which could lead to very coherent and plausible-sounding results.¹⁵

The third generation ChatGPT (GPT-3) model is considered to be more efficient than the earlier GPT-2 version and drew attention because it used 100 times more textual data (45 TB).¹⁴ It could also generate sequences of words, active codes, or other data that may be more human-like and sound coherent.¹⁶ Its efficiency and quality led to its potential use in various fields of medical and computer sciences.^17,18 As this third-generation model was efficiently trained using reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), this model will subsequently help to detect and understand human calls, responses, and follow-up questions during communications.¹⁹

ChatGPT: Practical Applications for the Dental Practice

With the advent of AI technology, the field of dentistry is witnessing changes in every section and its specialties. The ChatGPT could be a major turning point in supporting general dental practitioners and also help in improving the patient experience in clinical practices. This could also provide a breakthrough in streamlining administrative tasks in health settings, like scheduling appointments for dental treatments, processing insurance, thereby freeing up staff for patient care (Figure 1).

Additionally, the model might support the upkeep of precise patient records and enhance the general dentist's level of care.²⁰ When it comes to patient education, ChatGPT can help patients feel less confused and anxious by responding to their inquiries with precise and educational information. This could be accomplished by adding the model to the patient portal or website of a dentist's office.

ChatGPT in Dental Diagnosis

In terms of dental diagnosis, artificial intelligence has made great progress in the fields of oral imaging scans with increasing precision and dental radiography. The application of AI in disease diagnosis has grown, and it has been discovered to be as accurate as experts in medicine and dentistry.²¹

The use of 3D scanning using phones to support AI-based diagnosis and treatment is already very common in clinical practice. For instance, the dental society has expressed greater interest in using the metaverse. The metaverse is the latest addition that can be used in teleconsultation and also for dental education since it can simulate the natural world. The use of the metaverse could also facilitate the use of blockchain technology and smart contracts in the dental industry.^22,23

AI algorithms help support general dentists in the early identification of caries and other dental issues. The clinician can concentrate on more difficult tasks because these algorithms can process enormous amounts of data rapidly and accurately.²⁴ Even though these technologies have major advantages, there remains a concern because of their limitations and potential risks.²⁵

ChatGPT and Dental Education

The integration of ChatGPT within educational environments can greatly enhance students' educational experiences. This can be used to develop instructional strategies, increase student involvement and collaboration, and encourage experiential learning through hands-on activities. All of these things may contribute to the enormous potential to modernize the educational system. Additionally, it might give students more opportunities to learn by doing and experiencing.²⁶

When creating chatbots for educational purposes, the social, emotional, cognitive, and pedagogical aspects should be taken into account in addition to following the guidelines of user-centered design.²⁷ Therefore, it is critical to develop guidelines, tenets, and tactics for responsible chatbot development that are consistent with both our legal system and core human values, in addition to privacy, security, and the appropriate use of personal data.

Limitations and Ethical Concerns in ChatGPT

When designing chatbots, inclusion, usability, technical aspects, ethics, and best practices for their use should all be taken into account.²⁸ One of the main obstacles that prevent the widespread use of AI in the field of dentistry is the lack of accurate and high-quality information that is needed for diagnosis as well as treatment planning. Also to train AI algorithms, large amounts of information are very much needed; while it is inconsistent, varying quality and incomplete dental records are available to clinicians. Training AI models to precisely diagnose dental problems and recommend treatments becomes challenging due to this complexity. There are various other limitations which may still create concerns among the general public. Even though ChatGPT can maintain context and able to generate appropriate responses based on previous messages, it could still create occasionally incorrect information.

a. It can mimic and interact like humans to answer your queries. However, it can produce biased content or instructions.

b. It is having limited knowledge or information about events happening in the present or which may happen soon.

A research by Eschert et al.,²⁹ reported the knowledge regarding AI among most of the study respondents to be mediocre or below average. However, they thought AI would enhance diagnosis and bring about standardization in the industry. The study also brought up several AI-related issues, such as the possibility of outsourcing healthcare to tech firms, machine error, data security and privacy concerns, and machine privacy.

It is also critical to keep in mind that, despite ChatGPT's ability to simulate the human brain, it cannot fully replace human expertise and knowledge. To guarantee accuracy and security, the AI's outputs must always be checked by a professional with the necessary training and experience. Important ethical and privacy issues are brought up by the integration of ChatGPT into dental practice, and these issues need to be acknowledged and resolved. As professionals in dentistry, we must make sure that the use of this advanced technology does not jeopardize the health of patients undergoing care.

Conclusion

Regarding the active role of technologies in healthcare settings, professionals are divided, as is the case with any recent global advancement. This is also true about the use of ChatGPT in managing patients with different conditions. While some believe that these AI-modulated ChatGPT could produce increased efficiency and streamlined work, there is also growing concern about the impact these could have on the job market, with the replacement of humans by machines and also in various sections of education. However, there is still scope for further development by increasing the integration of ChatGPT into word processing programs. This AI-based ChatGPT may soon become a part of everyday life.

Conflict of interest

None