Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry· 2026Q1
Artificial Intelligence as a Digital Consultant: Evaluating Large Language Models for Patient Inquiries on Dental Caries
- 2citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Gemini demonstrated superior clinical accuracy, usefulness, and overall quality in answering patient questions about dental caries compared to ChatGPT and DeepSeek, according to evaluations by restorative dentists.
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Key points
- Gemini achieved the highest scores for clinical accuracy, usefulness, and global overall quality among tested AI models (Gemini, ChatGPT, DeepSeek) for dental caries inquiries.
- ChatGPT produced the most readable responses, generally classified as 'easy to read' by the Ateşman index.
- A significant positive correlation was found between clinical accuracy and readability for the DeepSeek model.
- Inter-rater reliability among three dentists evaluating the AI responses was high (ICC > 0.75).
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical accuracy, usefulness, global overall quality (GQS), and readability of ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek responses to patient questions regarding dental caries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine simulated patient questions concerning caries diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and prevention were queried in Turkish. Three restorative dentists independently evaluated the responses for accuracy, usefulness, and GQS. Readability was assessed using the Ateşman index. Statistical analyses included the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for interrater reliability, the Friedman test for performance comparisons among the models, and Spearman's rank correlation to analyze the relationships between the clinical variables. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability was high across all criteria (ICC > 0.75). Significant performance differences existed among the models (p < 0.001); Gemini achieved the highest overall clinical accuracy, usefulness, and GQS scores. ChatGPT produced the most readable texts, categorized generally as "easy to read" according to the Ateşman index. For DeepSeek, higher clinical accuracy significantly correlated with better readability (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Gemini offers the highest accuracy and quality as a digital preconsultation tool. However, AI tools should complement, not replace, professional dental advice.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Health Informatics
Health InformaticsMedicine