With continued advances in AI technology, more patients are seeking dental advice from a learning machine. Are they at risk, and what can you do?
By Susan Richards
If you’re navigating the internet or using online apps, you can’t help but be aware of the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into all things digital. An icon or pop-up box will notify you of the ability to summarize an article without reading it, improve a personal email, or “chat” with a representative on any given website.
AI is an astounding—and often overwhelming—advance in technology.
While the use of AI bots like Siri or Alexa has found widespread popularity for years, the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022 changed everything. Built on computer programs called large language models (LLMs), ChatGPT and other AI platforms that have followed learn from vast amounts of content, including websites, books, and even Wikipedia. Based on this training, the program responds to prompts on everything from “what should I have for dinner” to “how can I straighten my teeth without a dentist.”
The Upside of AI in Dentistry
Aside from the LLM chatbots that are changing the way people Google, AI technology is rapidly transforming the clinical and dental industries in a myriad of ways. Through new levels of precision and deep-learning algorithms, healthcare and dental providers are using AI to improve patient care. Just a few of the benefits dentists and their patients are seeing include:
- Imaging technology that can detect oral health concerns before they’re visible to clinicians.
- Personalizing treatment plans and customized dental appliances for improved patient experience.
- The use of predictive analytics to identify early risks and provide preventive care.
- Streamlined clinical operations with automated appointment-setting and record management.
- A 24/7 receptionist, AI chat systems can answer common questions.
- AI-driven marketing tools that stimulate and monitor practice growth.
A surprising upside of AI language models was discovered in a 2023 study by the University of California, San Diego: ChatGPT apparently has a better bedside manner than actual doctors. By taking questions from the Reddit AskDocs forum, a blinded panel of physicians rated the AI responses as far more empathetic and of a higher quality than those of real medical professionals.
According to Jessica Kelly, a nurse practitioner and co-author of the study, “ChatGPT messages responded with nuanced and accurate information that often addressed more aspects of the patient’s questions than physician responses.”
In 2024, a team of dental professionals used a similar methodology to compare dentist and LLM chatbot answers with remarkably similar outcomes. A full 93.3% of the blinded dentists judged both the quality and empathy levels of the ChatGPT responses to be better than those of the human counterpart.
Rather than taking these results too personally, dentists can learn from AI tools to improve patient communication—especially when integrating chatbots into their websites.
Move Over, WebMD
As for our theoretical question about at-home orthodonture, Claude (the bot developed by Anthropic and released in 2023) considerately responded with a complete list of risks associated with DIY dentistry and offered several options for achieving professional care. The bad news? Dentists can’t always rely on safe and effective advice being doled out to patients who use AI for their oral health questions.
Whether it’s crowdsourcing like Reddit or the advanced LLM capabilities of Claude, people are finding new ways to get answers before contacting their dentist or care provider. According to a survey conducted in early 2025 by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, almost 80% of U.S. adults seek healthcare answers online, and 63% of them find AI-generated health information to be somewhat reliable.
Even those who continue to use Google are likely to see an “AI Overview” before any other search results.
Current research on patients using AI specifically for dental advice is limited, but the outcomes are expected to be similar, given contributing factors like patient anxiety, dental practice deserts, and rising healthcare costs.
Understanding the AI Pitfalls
For all the benefits and progress that generative AI has provided both practitioners and patients, the technology is often mired in controversy. Media outlets routinely report on any number of LLM industry challenges, including:
- Excessive energy consumption
- Substantial investment requirements
- Environmental impact
- Data biases and interpretations
- The use of proprietary content
- Data privacy
The privacy implications are exceptionally notable for the healthcare industry. If providers use public chatbots in their practice, sensitive patient information could potentially be used to train the large language models, risking data leaks and even HIPAA violations.
AI-generated responses to clinical questions might be highly empathetic, but they can also be problematic or inaccurate. Users should be reminded that the information provided isn’t necessarily validated by medical or dental professionals; however, a recent analysis revealed that the use of medical disclaimers in LLM responses dropped from 26.3% in 2022 to less than 1% in 2025.
In light of increasing backlash, tragedy, and litigation, OpenAI recently reclassified ChatGPT as an educational tool rather than a “consultant.” As recently as October 29, 2025, new digital guardrails were installed to prevent the chatbot from offering personal health recommendations and direct medical advice, as well as legal and financial guidance. Time will tell if this shift mitigates risk for AI users and encourages knowledgeable, professional care.
In Conclusion
The potential danger of misdiagnosis for dental patients is probably much lower than for those using AI tools to manage serious medical conditions or a mental health crisis. However, there is an inherent risk for anyone putting their oral health and overall wellbeing in the robotic hands of technology that’s still in its infancy.
Dentists can protect their patients from AI misinformation in much the same way as they debunk risky social media trends: education. When presented with counterproductive answers from Google AI or ChatGPT, it’s important to explain potential risks, facts vs. fiction, and the benefits of professional care.
Although still evolving, artificial intelligence and its many iterations in healthcare are here to stay. Dentists can complement AI with tools that will build patient trust—expertise, communication, and compassion.
Author: Susan Richards is a staff writer at DOCS Education. With more than 20 years of experience in content creation and marketing, her award-winning career includes feature writing, local journalism, and providing articles for a variety of industries.
