A review of enquiries received from its members on artificial intelligence (AI) over the past 12 months has led Dental Protection to publish a Q&A on its website, aimed at helping practitioners better understand AI and mitigate potential risks.
The top 10 AI-related questions submitted to Dental Protection over the past year are:
1. When should I consider using AI?
2. How should I select an AI system?
3. What types of outputs can AI produce?
4. How should AI findings be interpreted and explained?
5. Who makes the final clinical decision?
6. What if the AI output conflicts with clinical findings?
7. How important is data quality?
8. What must patients be told about AI?
9. What risks of AI should be explained?
10. Who holds the duty of care when AI is used?
The Q&A follows the launch of Dental Protection’s AI Safer Practice Framework, designed to help dental professionals integrate AI safely and responsibly into clinical practice. Developed by Raj Rattan, the framework consists of two components — “informed” and “records” — and is structured around these acronyms to ensure it is both practical and easy to recall.
Raj Rattan, who recently assumed his new role as global adviser at the Medical Protection Society, said: “AI is a rapidly evolving field and at MPS, of which Dental Protection is a key part, we aim to remain at the forefront — ensuring that members and their patients benefit from its potential, while providing guidance and support to help mitigate emerging risks.
“Having reviewed the range of queries Dental Protection has received in relation to AI over the past 12 months, 10 common questions have emerged. These centre on understanding AI systems in dentistry and the data on which they are trained, as well as the interpretation of AI findings and issues surrounding patient consent,” he said. “More specific advice has also been sought on dento-legal implications, particularly in cases where AI outputs conflict with clinical findings, as well as questions around ultimate responsibility for decision-making and duty of care.”
“While the Q&A does not address every possible concern regarding the use of AI, I hope it will prove helpful in answering some of the fundamental questions dental professionals may have as they consider using AI tools to enhance patient care and improve efficiency,” Rattan concluded.
