UIC College of Dentistry Tests New Technology to Reduce Wait Times in Clinical Settings
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Dr. Cortino Sukotjo, director of the predoctoral implant program at the UIC College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics, is leading an innovative study to use chatbot technology for rapid responses to clinical procedure questions students frequently ask before or during their dental clinic procedures. “If I’m the only one supervising the clinic and I’m already with a student, another student who wants to ask me a question may have to wait several minutes,” Sukotjo said. “Hopefully this chatbot can reduce the burden and the waiting time, so the students can be more efficient in performing their clinical procedures.”
The chatbot was not built using large-language models, which can often produce unreliable results, but instead uses a rule-based system based on information assembled and reviewed by College of Dentistry faculty. Students using the chatbot rated the tool as significantly more timely, interactive, anxiety-reducing and recommendable than other technologies. “There is a lot of potential here to apply this technology to other clinics in the college,” Sukotjo said. “Further, we plan to use this technology to create simulation-based learning in dental education in the future.”