The Potential Usefulness of ChatGPT in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology

Cureus. 2023 Jul 19;15(7):e42133. doi: 10.7759/cureus.42133. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Aim This study aimed to evaluate the potential usefulness of Chat Generated Pre-Trained Transformer-3 (ChatGPT-3) in oral and maxillofacial radiology for report writing by identifying radiographic anatomical landmarks and learning about oral and maxillofacial pathologies and their radiographic features. The study also aimed to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT-3 and its usage in oral and maxillofacial radiology training. Materials and methods A questionnaire consisting of 80 questions was queried on the OpenAI app ChatGPT-3. The questions were stratified based on three categories. The categorization was based on random anatomical landmarks, oral and maxillofacial pathologies, and the radiographic features of some of these pathologies. One oral and maxillofacial radiologist evaluated queries that were answered by the ChatGPT-3 model and rated them on a 4-point, modified Likert scale. The post-survey analysis for the performance of ChatGPT-3 was based on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, its application in oral and maxillofacial radiology training, and its recommended use. Results In order of efficiency, Chat GPT-3 gave 100% accuracy in describing radiographic landmarks. However, the content of the oral and maxillofacial pathologies was limited to major or characteristic radiographic features. The mean scores for the queries related to the anatomic landmarks, oral and maxillofacial pathologies, and radiographic features of the oral and maxillofacial pathologies were 3.94, 3.85, and 3.96, respectively. However, the median and mode scores were 4 and were similar to all categories. The data for the oral and maxillofacial pathologies when the questions were not specifically included in the format of the introduction of the pathology, causes, symptoms, and treatment. Out of two abbreviations, one was not answered correctly. Conclusion The study showed that ChatGPT-3 is efficient in describing the pathology, characteristic radiographic features, and describing anatomical landmarks. ChatGPT-3 can be used as an adjunct when an oral radiologist needs additional information on any pathology, however, it cannot be the mainstay for reference. ChatGPT-3 is less detail-oriented, and the data has a risk of infodemics and the possibility of medical errors. However, Chat GPT-3 can be an excellent tool in helping the community in increasing the knowledge and awareness of various pathologies and decreasing the anxiety of the patients while dental healthcare professionals formulate an appropriate treatment plan.

Keywords: chatgpt; open-ai; oral and maxillofacial radiology; pathology; radiographic features.