Artificial Intelligence Literacy Among Undergraduate Dental Students: A Cross Sectional Study from a Single Academic Institute in Lahore
TL;DR
Although foundational AI literacy domains were generally well developed, students demonstrated notably lower scores in advanced domains, particularly AI creation.
Abstract
Objective: To assess AI literacy among undergraduate dental students using the domains of the Meta AI literacy scale. Also, the use of ethical consideration regarding AI, AI persuasion literacy and emotional regulation.Study Design: A cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Fatima Memorial Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan, from May 2025 to June 2025.Methods: Undergraduate students from all academic years were included using convenience sampling. The Meta AI Literacy Scale (MAILS), which consists of seven domains, was used to evaluate AI literacy. The Shapiro Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the composite scores. To assess the group differences across the demographics, the One-Way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis Test were used. Mann-Whitney U tests and independent t-tests were conducted to compare differences between genders.Results: A total of 160 undergraduate dental students (mean age 20.48 ± 1.90 years; 62.5% female) participated in the study. AI literacy varied across the seven MAILS domains, with higher scores in Use and Apply AI (mean: 5.39–6.55), Ethical considerations regarding AI (mean: 5.40–5.98), and AI persuasion literacy (mean: 5.94–6.30). On the other hand, the Create AI domain demonstrated the lowest score (mean 2.66–3.22). Students with increased self-rated computer skills were highly efficient in understanding AI, detecting AI, AI self-efficacy, and the practical use of AI (p < 0.05). The academic year was associated with the AI persuasion and Create AI domains (χ² = 8.50, P= 0.037), whereas no significant gender differences were identified. Correlational analysis showed a positive association between understanding AI and use and application of AI (r = 0.79).Conclusion: Although foundational AI literacy domains were generally well developed, students demonstratednotably lower scores in advanced domains, particularly AI creation. How to cite this: Gul M, Amin M. Artificial Intelligence Literacy Among Undergraduate Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Single Academic Institute in Lahore. Life and Science. 2026; 7(3): 387-394. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.955