Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability, consistency, and readability of responses provided by various artificial intelligence (AI) programs to questions related to Restorative Dentistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five knowledge-based information and 20 questions (10 patient-related and 10 dentistry-specific) were posed to ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-4o, Chatsonic, Copilot, and Gemini Advanced chatbots. The DISCERN questionnaire was used to assess the reliability; Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores were utilized to evaluate readability. Accuracy and consistency were determined based on the chatbots' responses to the knowledge-based questions. RESULTS: ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-4o, Chatsonic, and Copilot demonstrated "good" reliability, while ChatGPT-3.5 and Gemini Advanced showed "fair" reliability. Chatsonic exhibited the highest "DISCERN total score" for patient-related questions, while ChatGPT-4o performed best for dentistry-specific questions. No significant differences were found in readability among the chatbots (p > 0.05). ChatGPT-4o showed the highest accuracy (93.3%) for knowledge-based questions, while Copilot had the lowest (68.9%). ChatGPT-4 demonstrated the highest consistency between repetitions. CONCLUSION: Performance of AIs varied in terms of accuracy, reliability, consistency, and readability when responding to Restorative Dentistry questions. ChatGPT-4o and Chatsonic showed promising results for academic and patient education applications. However, the readability of responses was generally above recommended levels for patient education materials. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The utilization of AI has an increasing impact on various aspects of dentistry. Moreover, if the responses to patient-related and dentistry-specific questions in restorative dentistry prove to be reliable and comprehensible, this may yield promising outcomes for the future.