ArticleBDJ open2026
Exploring the prospects of artificial intelligence in transforming dental care for special needs groups: mapping the current evidence.
Article in BDJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in providing quality dental care to individuals with special needs has been scarcely explored and holds the potential to be transformative. This study aimed to map the current evidence and research gaps on the application of AI tools in special care dentistry. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines to ensure transparency. A systematic search was carried out across PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science, including studies on AI for dental care of special needs groups published from 2015 to 2025. The data were charted on an evidence map, and study characteristics were evaluated to identify existing evidence and gaps.
resultsFive studies were included in the review. Some of the major themes explored were AI tools used for diagnosis, treatment planning, behavior management, remote consultation and communication assistance for these groups, with one of the five studies assessing dentists' perceptions of their use. This study highlighted the lack of robust evidence and the narrow focus of the existing studies.
conclusionsThis study highlighted the research gap in AI tools for special needs groups and noted the dearth of scientifically and conceptually rigorous studies on the topic. Thus, serving as the preliminary evidence for directing subsequent research on clinical translation of AI tools for special needs groups.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.