Dental professionals need greater clarity about their responsibilities when using artificial intelligence (AI), Dental Protection has told the General Dental Council (GDC).
The organisation has called on the GDC to consider developing clear guidance setting out the professional expectations associated with the use of AI in dentistry.
The recommendation forms part of Dental Protection's response to the regulator’s consultation on replacing its existing ‘silver book’ guidance with a new professionalism framework.
Dental Protection welcomed the proposed expectation that dental professionals should understand their responsibilities when using technology to support their practice, but said further clarity was needed as AI becomes more widely used.
Dr George Wright, dental director at Dental Protection, said: ‘As AI is increasingly used to support clinical practice, communication, administration and practice promotion, dental professionals would benefit from greater clarity about how the existing professionalism principles and expectations apply when using it.
‘In particular, the GDC should consider clarifying expectations concerning professional accountability, the continued exercise of independent professional judgement, appropriate scrutiny of AI-generated information and the need for registrants to understand the limitations of the systems they use.’
Dental Protection has separately called for the new framework to distinguish more clearly between mandatory requirements, guidance and areas where dental professionals can exercise their own professional judgement.
‘Our concern is that open-ended expectations may create uncertainty for dental professionals,’ Dr Wright added.
Dental Protection also wants ethics and patients' interests to be explicitly reflected in the framework.
Dr Wright has previously commented on how AI is reshaping how patients make complaints.