Farhana Chowdhury^1* , Zinat Rehana²

¹Bangladesh Dental College, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

²Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Dental Unit, Dhaka, Bangladesh

*Corresponding address: Bangladesh Dental College, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Email: farhanachowdhury063@gmail.com

Received: 04 September 2024 / Revised: 21 November 2024 / Accepted: 24 November 2024 / Available Online: 21 December 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63137/jsteam.464446

ABSTRACT

Objective: The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the field of healthcare brings forth diverse applications. This study explores the perceptions of undergraduate medical and dental students regarding AI, their current educational opportunities related to AI, and their preferences for the delivery medium of AI curriculum in Bangladeshi medical and dental students.

Methods: A 37-item questionnaire adapted from Pucchio et al. was distributed online to undergraduate medical and dental students from January to June 2023 across medical and dental schools in Bangladesh. Responses to Likert-scale items (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Categorical responses permitting multiple selections were reported as counts with percentages of respondents.

Results: A total of 729 responses were collected from students across medical and dental schools, with a mean respondent age of 22.54 years. The majority of respondents agreed that AI applications would be commonly used in medicine in the future (94%) and that their use would improve medical practice (84%). Additionally, 73% recognized the necessity of using and understanding AI during their careers, and 67% supported the formal integration of AI education into medical curricula. However, 85% reported a lack of conventional AI-related educational opportunities, and 74% perceived current learning opportunities as inadequate.

Conclusion: The study highlights a significant gap in AI-related educational opportunities for medical and dental students in Bangladesh, emphasizing the need to integrate AI training into conventional medical curricula to prepare future practitioners for its clinical applications.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Dental; Medical Education; Medical Students; Perception

Data Availability: The data supporting this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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How to Cite: Chowdhury F, Rehana Z. Perceptions and Educational Needs of Bangladeshi Medical and Dental Students Regarding Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. J Sci Technol Educ Art Med. 2024;1(2):3-10