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Patient Management

176 - Evaluating and Improving Dental Patient Education Material (PEM) Readability Using Validated Readability Metrics and a Constrained AI Prompt Framework

Friday, May 22, 2026
3:40 PM - 3:55 PM PST
Has Audio
Abstract:

Background:
Patient education materials (PEMs), including informed consent documents, procedural instructions, and educational handouts, were essential ethical tools supporting patient comprehension, shared decision-making, and legally valid informed consent. National organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommended that PEMs be written at a 6th–8th grade reading level. However, literature across medical and surgical specialties (2018–2025) consistently demonstrated that PEMs exceeded these recommendations. A recent 30-year meta-review confirmed the persistence of this readability gap across healthcare disciplines.



Objective:
This study aimed to develop, test, and validate a constrained, AI-assisted prompt framework to improve the readability of dental patient education materials while preserving ethically and legally material elements required for informed consent, including risks, benefits, alternatives to treatment, and procedural disclosures.



Methods:
Representative dental PEMs, including informed consent forms, pre- and post-operative instructions, sedation disclosures, and radiographic authorizations, were evaluated using the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and SMOG Index. Multiple AI prompt prototypes were developed and applied to each document. Post-intervention readability was reassessed, and prompt performance was compared quantitatively. Ethical fidelity was assessed using a structured content-retention checklist.

Expected

Results:
Baseline dental PEMs were expected to exceed recommended readability thresholds. AI-assisted revisions were anticipated to produce a 2–4 grade-level reduction, achieving 6th–8th grade readability while maintaining at least 80% retention of ethically and legally material content.



Conclusion:
This study proposed a scalable framework for improving dental PEM readability without compromising ethical standards of informed consent.

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