Deep Learning in Dental Education: Modest Gains in Diagnostic Accuracy, Sparse Evidence for Other Outcomes

Deep learning tools improved dental students' diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, F1) in most studies, but evidence for reasoning or long-term retention is limited. One study found LLM assistance lowered test scores. Systematic review of 16 studies. Adjunctive role only.

• Systematic review of 16 studies (RCTs, quasi-experimental) evaluating DML interventions for dental students' cognitive outcomes.
• Evidence for cognitive reasoning, assignment quality, and cognitive load was mixed; one LLM-based tool reduced post-test scores vs. conventional teaching.
• High heterogeneity, small samples, and lack of long-term retention data limit conclusions; no meta-analysis performed.

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