Preparing dental education for effective AI integration

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 30 July 2026

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AJMAN, UAE: Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping dental education by changing how students learn, educators teach and institutions prepare graduates for modern clinical practice. A narrative review led by researchers at Ajman University has examined the strategies needed to integrate AI into health professions education, giving particular attention to dental education and has made recommendations for institutional readiness, including faculty development and ethical governance, to support the implementation of AI.

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in dentistry, dental schools face growing pressure to equip future graduates with the knowledge and skills required to use AI safely and effectively. The review synthesises evidence published between 2015 and 2025 to examine how AI can be successfully incorporated into dental education while maintaining educational quality, professionalism and patient care.

The review highlights AI’s expanding role in dental education, such as in personalised learning, intelligent tutoring systems, automated feedback, virtual patients and simulation-based training. According to the review, these technologies can enable students to strengthen their abilities in diagnostic reasoning, treatment planning and clinical decision-making in a safe environment before treating patients. AI-powered simulations and adaptive learning platforms can also provide personalised feedback, helping students identify gaps in their knowledge and improve their clinical competence.

To realise these potential benefits, the review highlights the importance of faculty development. The authors emphasise that successful AI integration depends on educators’ understanding of both the capabilities and limitations of AI technologies. The authors emphasise the need for ongoing professional development among dental educators, including through workshops and micro-credentials—short courses or training modules focused on specific skills—to build AI literacy, relevant digital skills and confidence in using AI in teaching, assessment and curriculum design.

The review also stresses the importance of institutional readiness. The authors argue that dental schools should develop clear governance frameworks, ethical guidelines and academic integrity policies to support the responsible use of AI. They also identify investment in digital infrastructure, simulation facilities and secure data management systems as important to the effective implementation of AI technologies in dental education.

Beyond institutional readiness, the review discusses challenges surrounding algorithmic bias, data privacy, unequal access to technology and the potential for over-reliance on AI. The concern about over-reliance is consistent with a recent systematic review which found that generative AI supports personalised and self-directed learning in health professions education, but cautions that over-dependence may hinder the development of critical thinking and independent learning skills. These issues reinforce the need for ethical governance, transparent policies and human oversight to ensure that AI is implemented responsibly within dental education.

Importantly, the review recommends that assessments should ensure that students’ critical thinking and clinical judgement are not compromised when they use AI tools. The authors conclude that human oversight and professional judgement should remain central to higher education.

Overall, the review concludes that the successful integration of AI into dental education requires collaboration between educators, clinicians, institutional leaders and policymakers. By investing in faculty development, curriculum reform and robust governance, dental schools can prepare graduates to deliver safe, ethical and patient-centred dental care while using AI critically and responsibly.

The paper, titled “Faculty development and institutional readiness for incorporating AI in health professions education—a narrative review”, was published online on 22 July 2026 in Frontiers in Dental Medicine.

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