Santonocito Simona, Cicciù Marco, Ronsivalle Vincenzo
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Department of General Surgery and Surgical-Medical Specialties, School of dentistry, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Clin Oral Investig. 2025 Apr 30;29(5):278. doi: 10.1007/s00784-025-06356-8.
To evaluate the impact of AI-based chatbots on orthodontic patient education in terms of compliance with oral hygiene procedures and level of knowledge and understanding of the treatment recommendations received. Furthermore, to assess the patient's satisfaction with the information received.
100 orthodontic patients were enrolled and randomly allocated to receive information leaflets (control group n = 50) or access to an AI-based chatbot created on the guidelines of the leading scientific societies in the field (n = 50). The plaque index (PI) and modified gingival index (MGI) were assessed at baseline (T0) and after 5 weeks of treatment (T1). A questionnaire with a Likert scale was used to evaluate patients' knowledge and satisfaction. Statistical investigations were conducted to perform intra- and inter-group evaluations and to compare the effects of orthodontic therapies on the independent variables analysed. The questionnaire' s reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α.
At T1, a statistically significant increase in MGI and PI was observed in both analyzed groups (P < 0,001). However, the increase in MGI in the chatbot group was statistically lower than in the control group (P < 0.001). The increase in MGI was significantly higher in the chatbot-fixed orthodontic treatment subgroup than in the chatbot-aligners subgroup (P < 0,001).
The use of AI-based chatbots, whose reliability of the information provided can be validated, positively influences orthodontic oral hygiene in orthodontic patients. Further studies with greater follow-up should be conducted to understand the real impact of AI-based chatbot on patient education and satisfaction.
评估基于人工智能的聊天机器人对正畸患者教育的影响，包括对口腔卫生程序的依从性以及对所接受治疗建议的知识和理解水平。此外，评估患者对所接收信息的满意度。
招募100名正畸患者，并随机分配接受信息手册（对照组n = 50）或使用基于该领域领先科学学会指南创建的人工智能聊天机器人（n = 50）。在基线（T0）和治疗5周后（T1）评估菌斑指数（PI）和改良牙龈指数（MGI）。使用李克特量表问卷评估患者的知识和满意度。进行统计调查以进行组内和组间评估，并比较正畸治疗对所分析自变量的影响。使用Cronbach's α评估问卷的信度。
在T1时，两个分析组的MGI和PI均有统计学意义的增加（P < 0.001）。然而，聊天机器人组的MGI增加在统计学上低于对照组（P < 0.001）。在固定矫治器正畸治疗的聊天机器人亚组中，MGI的增加明显高于隐形矫治器亚组（P < 0.001）。
使用基于人工智能的聊天机器人，其提供信息的可靠性可以得到验证，对正畸患者的正畸口腔卫生有积极影响。应进行更长期随访的进一步研究，以了解基于人工智能的聊天机器人对患者教育和满意度的实际影响。
