Before many patients ring your practice, they've already asked an AI. "Why does my tooth hurt when I drink something cold?" "Is a chipped tooth an emergency?" "How much does a crown cost?" Preliminary findings from the 2026 Australian Healthcare Index, released in October by HealthEngine and Patients Australia, suggest more than half of Australians now use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini for health advice and symptom checks.
That changes the conversations your team has with patients, and how your practice gets found. This article looks at what the research shows, the risks, and what dental practices can do about it.
Key takeaways
- Preliminary results from the 2026 Australian Healthcare Index suggest more than half of Australians use generative AI for health advice and symptom checks.
- The same survey found patients have real concerns: 53% worry about AI making mistakes, 44% about losing human interaction, and more than a third about privacy.
- Research has raised concerns about AI chatbots under-estimating urgency in some emergency scenarios.
- Patients may arrive with AI-generated explanations, worries or price expectations, so your team should be ready to respond respectfully.
- Clear, accurate information on your website and fast, human-backed answers on the phone help patients get reliable advice.
What the research shows
Use is growing fast
The 2026 Australian Healthcare Index preliminary findings, reported in October 2026, found that more than half of respondents turn to generative AI tools for health advice and symptom checks. Just over a third had encountered AI in a healthcare setting, such as AI receptionists or clinical documentation tools. The full index was due for release later in October.
For comparison, a University of Sydney study based on 2024 survey data found that about one in ten Australian adults had used ChatGPT for health information in the previous six months. The studies used different methods, so they can't be compared directly, but together they point to rapid growth.
Trust hasn't caught up
In the 2026 index, 53% of respondents were concerned about AI making mistakes, 44% were worried about losing human interaction, and more than a third raised privacy concerns.
Urgency is the biggest risk
Researchers have tested how AI chatbots respond to medical scenarios, and some studies have found chatbots failed to recommend urgent care in a substantial share of emergency cases. Other studies have found more people with lower health literacy use these tools for higher-risk questions, such as whether they need to see a doctor.
In dentistry, the cost of under-triage can be serious. Rapidly spreading facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, uncontrolled bleeding and dental trauma need prompt care.
What it means for your practice
Patients arrive pre-informed, or misinformed
Some patients will have a useful understanding of their options. Others may arrive anxious about something an AI suggested, convinced they need a particular treatment, or expecting a price that doesn't apply to them. Your team should treat AI-sourced information like anything else a patient has read online: listen, acknowledge and explain, without dismissing the patient.
Emergencies may be delayed
A patient told by a chatbot that their swelling can wait may call later than they should. Make sure your phones, website and any AI tools give clear instructions for urgent symptoms, including when to call 000. See how AI receptionists handle dental emergency calls.
AI assistants are a new front door
Patients also ask AI tools which dentist to see. If your website and listings give clear, accurate information about your services, hours, location and fees, AI tools are more likely to describe you correctly. See how patients find dentists now.
Patients want a human option
The concerns in the survey are a reminder to be transparent about any AI your practice uses, and to make it easy to reach a person. See will patients accept an AI receptionist?
Practical steps
- Train the team to respond to "ChatGPT told me..." with curiosity rather than dismissal, and to pass clinical questions to the dentist.
- Publish clear, accurate information on your website: services, what to expect, typical costs, and when to seek urgent care.
- Make urgent advice prominent on your website, voicemail and booking channels.
- Answer the phone. Patients who get a fast, reliable answer from your practice are less likely to rely on a chatbot's guess. See the real cost of missed calls.
- Be transparent about your own AI. If you use an AI receptionist or chatbot, say so, keep it away from clinical advice and make escalation easy.
How this differs from an AI receptionist
A general AI chatbot answers from everything it has learned, with no knowledge of your practice and no accountability. A well-designed practice AI receptionist answers only from your practice's approved information, doesn't give clinical advice, follows your emergency protocol and hands clinical questions to your team. That distinction matters, and it's worth explaining to patients who ask.
Frequently asked questions
Should we tell patients not to use AI for health advice?
A blanket warning is unlikely to work. It's more useful to encourage patients to check AI information with their dentist, and to seek urgent care for serious symptoms.
Can AI chatbots give accurate dental information?
They can explain general concepts well, but they can't examine a patient and may make mistakes, especially about urgency and individual circumstances.
Is ChatGPT Health available in Australia?
Availability has been changing. Check current information from the provider.
Next steps
Review your website's urgent-care information and your team's response to AI-informed patients this week. To make sure every patient who calls gets a fast, reliable answer, book a demo of IntelliDent's AI receptionist, which works from your practice's own information.