Perceptions and attitudes of dental students and dentists in South Korea toward artificial intelligence: a subgroup analysis based on professional seniority

Abstract Background This study explored dental students’ and dentists’ perceptions and attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and analyzed differences according to professional seniority. Methods In September to November 2022, online surveys using Google Forms were conducted at 2 dental colleges and on 2 dental websites. The questionnaire consisted of general information (8 or 10 items) and participants’ perceptions, confidence, predictions, and perceived future prospects regarding AI (17 items). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on 4 questions representing perceptions and attitudes toward AI to identify highly influential factors according to position, age, sex, residence, and self-reported knowledge level about AI of respondents. Participants were reclassified into 2 subgroups based on students’ years in school and 4 subgroups based on dentists’ years of experience. The chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test was used to determine differences between dental students and dentists and between subgroups for all 17 questions. Results The study included 120 dental students and 96 dentists. Participants with high level of AI knowledge were more likely to be interested in AI compared to those with moderate or low level (adjusted OR 24.345, p