Artificial intelligence in supporting non-dental workers to integrate oral health into primary care: An integrative review

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background:</bold> The World Health Organization advocates for the involvement of non-dental workers in integrating oral health into primary care and improving oral health outcomes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to facilitate their involvement in oral care, but existing literature remains fragmented and unsynthesised.This review aimed to examine the use and effectiveness of AI strategies to support non-dental workers inintegrating oral health into primary care. <bold>Methods:</bold> This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and utilised Whittemore and Knafl’s (2005) integrative review framework (Prospero registration number: CRD42024593238). We searched for studies in CINAHL, EMBASE/Ovid, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar and included papers published in English between 2015 and 2024 that examined AI strategies used by non-dental workers and their effectiveness. A data extraction form was used to extract information from the included articles, and athematic analysis was conducted to report findings. <bold>Results:</bold> This review included six studies with quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, participatory, and quasi-experimental designs. Findings revealed that various non-dental workers (e.g., frontline healthcare workers, clinic managers, care givers, registered nurses, general practitioners, and allied health staff) used preventive, triage, and oral diagnosis and treatment-focused AI applications in integrated oral health spaces, providing prompt, low-cost digital oral health education, screening, and referral services. These AI applications were reported to be effective in optimising knowledge, awareness, early detection, disease prevention, oral care, and addressing oral health disparities and inequity among diverse populations. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> AI can increase non-dental workers’ capacity and involvement in oral care within non-dental settings and support integrating oral health into primary care. However, this integration necessitates adequate training, and further research is warranted to clarify its role in optimising oral care.

Ähnliche Arbeiten