Purpose/objectives: This study investigates the relationship between first-year grades and cumulative grades at the end of dental school to explore trends in academic performance in the predoctoral dental curriculum. The objective of this research is to provide information to inform student support efforts for predoctoral dental programs.
Methods: Academic records for 156 students who completed their first year (D1) of predoctoral dental education in 2015/2016 were reviewed. The analysis reviews outcomes at the end of D1 and the end of the 4-year curriculum. The outcomes of this study are grade point average (GPA) at the end of the 4-year traditional dental school curriculum, grouped as basic science, preclinical, preclinical laboratory, translational, and clinical. Regression analyses were performed for each outcome. A GPA change of 0.5 was employed to demonstrate change, as it represented half a letter grade.
Result: The analysis found first-year grades to be related to 4-year academic outcomes. For example, a 0.5-grade point score increase in the first-year basic science GPA was associated with a 0.503 increase in basic science GPA. However, a 0.5-grade point increase in first-year annual GPA was associated with a 0.084 increase in the clinical science GPA. First-year annual GPA was the only significant predictor variable for overall 4-year GPA; a 0.5-grade point increase in the first-year annual GPA was associated with a 0.386 increase in overall GPA.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that academic and personal support in the first year of dental school is paramount in supporting student success in predoctoral dental education.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13171 | DOI Listing |
Cranio
January 2025
Institute of Dental Clinic, A. Gemelli University Policlinic IRCCS, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Objective: Dental professionals are highly vulnerable to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). As females, who are more prone to WMSD, represent a growing proportion of the dental workforce, this study explored sex differences in WMSD-pain prevalence among dental students, and differentiated it between preclinical and clinical students.
Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students at three U.
J Hist Dent
January 2025
Professor Emeritus Texas A&M University, College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas, Distinguished Adjunct Professor, Department of Cariology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS) Saveetha University, Chennai, India.
Historically the physiological or pathological loss of tooth structure in situ was deemed to be due to the 'absorption' of tooth structure due to the removal of the inorganic components of dentin and cementum by osteoclastic (dentinoclastic) cellular activity. This nomenclature and the activity that it represented was considered by almost all dental researchers and clinicians in the 1800s and early 1900s. The shift to the concept of 'resorption' occurred in the first half of the 20th century, with clarity emanating from significant research activity on the pathology of osseous structures, origin of osteoclastic cell types, and the function of periodontal ligament cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Dent Educ
December 2024
Department of Orthodontics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Objectives: There is a lack of evidence on whether a grading system or a pass/fail system influences manual skills in dental education. This parallel-group randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the influence of a 15-point grading system compared with a pass/fail evaluation on the quality of orthodontic appliances in dental education.
Methods: Predoctoral dental students of three orthodontic courses (n = 139) were randomly assigned to either the test group (15-point grading system) or the control group (pass/fail) using sealed envelopes.
J Dent Educ
December 2024
Department of Dental Public Health and Dental Informatics, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the difference in the level of clinical independence among predoctoral dental students during their community clinic rotation with their dental school clinic rotations.
Methods: Descriptive statistics, assessment of sample normality, and T-tests were performed to present the difference in average independence scale scores for the participants in each of the clinical disciplines at dental school clinical rotations and community rotations. The relative impact of each community clinical site was assessed to compare scores assigned at varying locations by different faculty.
BMC Med Educ
December 2024
Department of Dental Education, School of Dentistry & Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
Background: Given the critical role of health professionals in societal health, the development of robust and effective selection methods is of fundamental concern for educational institutions within the field of health sciences education. Conventionally, admission competencies have been determined by institutional authorities. Developing institution-specific competency criteria enables an admission process that is mission- and value-aware, evidence-based, and strategically adaptable.
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