Evaluation of ChatGPT's Real-Life Implementation in Undergraduate Dental Education: Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: The recent artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT seems to offer a range of benefits in academic education while also raising concerns. Relevant literature encompasses issues of plagiarism and academic dishonesty, as well as pedagogy and educational affordances; yet, no real-life implementation of ChatGPT in the educational process has been reported to our knowledge so far. OBJECTIVE: This mixed methods study aimed to evaluate the implementation of ChatGPT in the educational process, both quantitatively and qualitatively. METHODS: In March 2023, a total of 77 second-year dental students of the European University Cyprus were divided into 2 groups and asked to compose a learning assignment on "Radiation Biology and Radiation Protection in the Dental Office," working collaboratively in small subgroups, as part of the educational semester program of the Dentomaxillofacial Radiology module. Careful planning ensured a seamless integration of ChatGPT, addressing potential challenges. One group searched the internet for scientific resources to perform the task and the other group used ChatGPT for this purpose. Both groups developed a PowerPoint (Microsoft Corp) presentation based on their research and presented it in class. The ChatGPT group students additionally registered all interactions with the language model during the prompting process and evaluated the final outcome; they also answered an open-ended evaluation questionnaire, including questions on their learning experience. Finally, all students undertook a knowledge examination on the topic, and the grades between the 2 groups were compared statistically, whereas the free-text comments of the questionnaires were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Out of the 77 students, 39 were assigned to the ChatGPT group and 38 to the literature research group. Seventy students undertook the multiple choice question knowledge examination, and examination grades ranged from 5 to 10 on the 0-10 grading scale. The Mann-Whitney U test showed that students of the ChatGPT group performed significantly better (P=.045) than students of the literature research group. The evaluation questionnaires revealed the benefits (human-like interface, immediate response, and wide knowledge base), the limitations (need for rephrasing the prompts to get a relevant answer, general content, false citations, and incapability to provide images or videos), and the prospects (in education, clinical practice, continuing education, and research) of ChatGPT. CONCLUSIONS: Students using ChatGPT for their learning assignments performed significantly better in the knowledge examination than their fellow students who used the literature research methodology. Students adapted quickly to the technological environment of the language model, recognized its opportunities and limitations, and used it creatively and efficiently. Implications for practice: the study underscores the adaptability of students to technological innovations including ChatGPT and its potential to enhance educational outcomes. Educators should consider integrating ChatGPT into curriculum design; awareness programs are warranted to educate both students and educators about the limitations of ChatGPT, encouraging critical engagement and responsible use.

Online videos: The hidden curriculum.

INTRODUCTION: Dental undergraduates will access the Internet searching for learning materials to complement their training; however, open access content is not generally recommended by dental schools. This study aimed to evaluate how dental students are using online video content. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Students from eight Universities (Athens, Birmingham, Brescia, Cardiff, Melbourne, Paris, Sao Paulo and Valdivia) representing three continents were invited to complete a survey on their access and learning from online videos. RESULTS: International students behave similarly when studying dental content online. Of 515 respondents, 94.6% use the Internet as a learning tool. It was observed that videos are not frequently recommended during didactic lectures (9.6%). But many students (79.9%) will use YouTube for their learning which includes clinical procedures. Students will check online content before performing procedures for the first time (74.8%), to understand what was explained in class (65.9%) or read in books (59.5%), to relearn clinical techniques (64.7%) and to visualise rare procedures (49.8%). More than half of the students do not fully trust the accuracy or the reliability of online content. This does not prevent students from watching and sharing dental videos with classmates (64.4%). The content watched is not shared with teachers (23.3%) even when it contradicts what was learnt in the school (38.2%). CONCLUSION: This study concludes that students regularly integrate open access digital resources into learning portfolios but are hesitant to inform their teachers about their viewing habits. Students wish to receive critical skills on how to evaluate the material they encounter outside their traditional learning space.

Using quizzes to provide an effective and more enjoyable dental education: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Increasingly, dental education is using digital strategies to deliver teaching; however, not all of these learning materials are engaging and effective. AIM: To evaluate the perception and knowledge retention of undergraduate dental students after using two different digital learning tools: quizzes and PDF. METHODS: Thirty-three students from a Dental School in the United Kingdom took part in the research. They received learning material derived from the Prosthodontic (Kennedy classification) or Paediatric dentistry content (Tooth classification). The same content was delivered in two different formats: quiz game (n = 17) and PDF file (n = 16). The PDF file had ten images and their classifications, whilst the quiz had the same images with a question about the classification, along with alternatives (single best answer). RESULTS: All students gave similar performances on the knowledge assessment; however, their perception about the learning material differed. Students using quizzes (88%) agreed that they were fun and an interesting way of learning, while only 37.5% had this opinion about PDF material (p = .002). When using quizzes, learners were more motivated and confident. They would frequently recommend quizzes to other colleagues; however, the use of PDF was not suggested as frequently (p = .039). As a learning strategy, 100% of the students using quizzes wanted more of the same to study other dental subjects. This was not the case with the PDF format (p = .005). CONCLUSION: Despite quizzes and PDF files resulting in a similar understanding of dental subjects, learners prefer quizzes to supplement their studies. Educators should consider using this interactive digital tool to engage students, instead of PDF files.

COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on dental students: A multi-institutional survey.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To investigate dental students' perceptions and concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, their coping strategies and support resources, and their perceived stress levels. METHODS: A customized 19-item survey and the perceived stress scale (PSS) were applied to undergraduate dental students from the US, Spain, Ireland, Chile, India, and Brazil between April 10 and July 5, 2020. Linear modeling and mediation analysis were used to explore the relationships among demographics, stressors, coping mechanisms, social support, and stress RESULTS: A total of 4475 students responded to the survey. The majority (72.4%) were women, and 52.3% had no COVID-19 training at the time of the survey. The students reported that they had to accommodate to changes in patient care (96.6%) and didactic learning (95.2%) activities, while 88.5% of the respondents indicated at least one of their courses moved online. Transition to online courses went "smoothly with some troubles" for 51.8% of the respondents, and 48.3% perceived the faculty as prepared for the online transition; however, 45.9% reported feeling extremely concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their education. The average PSS score was 21.9 of 40 (moderate stress). Multivariate models were built for participants with full data (n = 3899). Being male, having completed more dental coursework, and perceiving a smoother transition were associated with lower PSS scores; more concern about academic progress was associated with higher PSS. Faculty support mediated the relationship between a smoothness of transition and concern about academic progress and PSS scores CONCLUSION: Stress caused by the pandemic may be alleviated by smoother transition and good faculty support.

The availability of open-access videos offered by dental schools.

BACKGROUND: The Internet has become an established learning tool in dental education where students can access online videos on a range of dental subjects. However, finding reliable peer-reviewed content is not straightforward. AIM: To evaluate the video content offered by UK and Republic of Ireland (RoI) Dental Schools on their YouTube channels and public websites. METHODS: Free videos offered on UK and RoI Dental schools websites and YouTube channels were watched and set according to its purpose, as educational or non-educational. The number of views, length, category and date of publication were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 627 videos offered by dental courses were evaluated. Videos were available on 83% of the websites, but only 9% was educational content. Dental courses YouTube channels received more than 2.3 million views, but less than 5% of the material offered is educational. Instructional videos found on the websites (3.2 min) were shorter than those found on YouTube (8.5 min) (P = .03). The majority of the videos, provided by Universities, were not educational and focused on promoting the dental courses. Most websites have demonstrated a password-protected area where quality content may be offered. CONCLUSION: Students wishing to watch instructional videos will find limited educational content provided by UK and RoI dental courses. Therefore, they are likely to access course-related material elsewhere on the Internet that may not be necessarily peer-reviewed.

Fake news and dental education.

Fake news is used to spread disinformation on many subjects with the aim of distorting the truth. There has been a rise of fake news stories in dentistry such as homemade whitening products and misinformed information on how to strengthen your teeth. Such stories populate YouTube and other social media. Evidence-based dentistry does not provide all the answers, so patients and health professions readily seek out information that confirms their own views on the subject. There are tools available that may be used to verify the accuracy of such information and help to dispel fake news. The ideal way to deal with the influence of fake news is to empower individuals to publish and create an environment of 'real news'.

Who is providing dental education content via YouTube?

Introduction Online video sharing platforms are regularly visited by dental students. However, they may be accessing non-peer-reviewed content which is not officially recommended by their dental school's curriculum.Aims To evaluate the reliability of dental education content found on YouTube.Methods A YouTube search for dental procedures content was conducted using the keywords 'restorative dentistry', 'paediatric dentistry', 'orthodontics' and 'oral surgery'. The first ten results of each search were set according to its publisher. The number of views, length, category, retention index and date of publication were analysed.Results Around 70% of the videos were published under education/science categories. These 40 videos received 25 million visitors and showed an average length of 9.22 min (± 8.19). Universities provided only 5% of the content. Older videos had more views per month (p <0.05) and a better interaction index (p >0.05). Most users preferred the long videos (p <0.05) and the interaction index was better for those older videos (p <0.01). Short videos had 70% user retention, while ten-minute-long videos had 21%.Conclusions Most of the content found did not match the reliability criteria. Universities should consider how their students use YouTube and look to incorporate their findings into their curriculum. Content length and more recent dental videos will influence student retention and learning.