Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39532572›Full record

SynthesisInternational dental journal2025

Large Language Models in Dental Licensing Examinations: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Mingxin Liu, Tsuyoshi Okuhara, Wenbo Huang, Atsushi Ogihara, Hikari Sophia Nagao, Hiroko Okada, Takahiro Kiuchi

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International dental journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Mingxin LiuDepartment of Health Communication, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: liumingxin98@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
Tsuyoshi OkuharaDepartment of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Wenbo HuangDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Atsushi OgiharaFaculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Hikari Sophia NagaoDepartment of Health Communication, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Hiroko OkadaDepartment of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Takahiro KiuchiDepartment of Health Communication, School of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND

aimsThis study systematically reviews and conducts a meta-analysis to evaluate the performance of various large language models (LLMs) in dental licensing examinations worldwide. The aim is to assess the accuracy of these models in different linguistic and geographical contexts. This will inform their potential application in dental education and diagnostics.

methodsFollowing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies published from 1 January 2022 to 1 May 2024. Two authors independently reviewed the literature based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the studies in accordance with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. We conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses to evaluate the performance of LLMs.

resultsEleven studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing dental licensing examinations from eight countries. GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Bard achieved integrated accuracy rates of 54%, 72%, and 56%, respectively. GPT-4 outperformed GPT-3.5 and Bard, passing more than half of the dental licensing examinations. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression showed that GPT-3.5 performed significantly better in English-speaking countries. GPT-4's performance, however, remained consistent across different regions.

conclusionLLMs, particularly GPT-4, show potential in dental education and diagnostics, yet their accuracy remains below the threshold required for clinical application. The lack of sufficient training data in dentistry has affected LLMs' accuracy. The reliance on image-based diagnostics also presents challenges. As a result, their accuracy in dental exams is lower compared to medical licensing exams. Additionally, LLMs even provide more detailed explanation for incorrect answer than correct one. Overall, the current LLMs are not yet suitable for use in dental education and clinical diagnosis.

Indexed as

Educational MeasurementLicensure, DentalHumansLarge Language ModelsDental educationDentistryHealthcareOral medicineSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID39532572
PMCPMC11806300

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.