Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology presents a significant opportunity for the reform of modern teaching models. To enhance the teaching efficiency of oral and maxillofacial surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology constructed an AI-empowered smart curriculum. An AI portal and specialized course platform were established based on the university database and DeepSeek, by which we built the knowledge atlas of oral and maxillofacial surgery. An intelligent agent was used to aid lesson preparation before class; AI and virtual reality technologies were employed to realize a digital class guide and intelligent interaction during class; man-machine conversation enabled round-the-clock tutoring after class. In this study, we successfully developed an AI-empowered smart curriculum for oral and maxillofacial surgery, and 483 five-year and eight-year undergraduate students enrolled in 2019 and 2020 were recruited to undergo this new teaching mode, and then a questionnaire survey was conducted. The results showed that compared with traditional classroom teaching, the degree of students′ satisfaction after the implementation of the AI-empowered smart courses has improved from 34.4% (166/483) to 52.2% (252/483), and the students with high interest have significantly increased [73.1% (353/483) vs. 90.5% (437/483)], which demonstrates that the AI-empowered smart courses in oral and maxillofacial surgery have boosted students′ professional interest, enlivened the classroom atmosphere, and effectively improved learning efficiency and teaching outcomes.

Key words: Artificial intelligence, Smart curriculum, Oral and maxillofacial surgery, Teaching innovation