Elements of Undergraduate Education Related to Students' Academic Performance in the First Year of Dental School

Abstract

The aim of this study was to improve understanding of predictors of student success in dental school. A total of 178 student records from the Classes of 2015 and 2016 at a U.S. dental school were reviewed for this retrospective study. The records assessed included admissions files with such elements as scores on the Dental Admission Test (DAT), participation in a pipeline program, and undergraduate transcripts; academic records from the first term of dental school (class rank, course remediation, and withdrawal/dismissal from dental school); and National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I results. The results showed that the DAT Perceptual Ability Test was positively related to performance in the first term of dental school (p=0.030). The DAT Academic Average (p<0.0001) and participation in a pipeline program (p=0.006) were found to be predictors of performance in the lower 25% of the class by end of first term rank. Taking organic chemistry in a summer term during undergraduate study was identified as a predictor variable for dismissal, withdrawal, or entry into a decompressed curriculum (p=0.025). Although this analysis found that traditional predictors of academic success in dental school were associated with strong academic performance in the study sample, it also provided a more complex assessment of factors that may be associated with students who struggle in the first year. As the vast majority of students in this sample successfully completed dental school, the results were not sought to inform admissions criteria, but rather to help academic and student affairs officers identify at‐risk students in order to offer timely intervention.

Differential effects of individual and school factors on the academic trajectories of Japanese dental students

“…Our analyses showed that students’ past academic performance was associated with lower GPA trajectories and withdrawal or repeating years. This is consistent with prior studies that showed a positive association between student academic performance in dental school and their past performance, such as pre‐dental (undergraduate) GPA as well as Dental Admission Test scores 19,20 . Furthermore, the trajectories of academic performance in dental students that were observed in this study did not intersect, and the order (i.e., highest, middle, and lowest) remained stable during the study period.…”

“…This is consistent with prior studies that showed a positive association between student academic performance in dental school and their past performance, such as pre-dental (undergraduate) GPA as well as Dental Admission Test scores. 19,20 Furthermore, the trajectories of academic performance in dental students that were observed in this study did not intersect, and the order (i.e., highest, middle, and lowest) remained stable during the study period. This result is in line with prior studies that demonstrated a positive association between first-year GPA in dental school and later academic performance in dental school.…”

Psychometric Characteristics of Oral Pathology Test Items in the Dental Hygiene Curriculum—A Longitudinal Analysis

“…Typically, admissions to the dental hygiene program require at least one year of college and the completion of prerequisite courses, including anatomy, biology, chemistry, microbiology, and math. Interestingly, in a recent analysis of predictive factors for student success in dental school, Sabato et al showed that the elements of undergraduate education could help identify students who are at risk for poor performance and require timely intervention [ 26 ].…”

Growing future clinicians: Can the seeds of admission data determine success?

“…Analysis of dental admission scores to a school's competency exams for fourth‐year students found the DAT—Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) to be a statistically significant predictor of performance 11 . Another analysis of student performance in the first‐year of dental school showed the DAT‐PAT to be positively related to academic performance 12 . The previously referenced Canadian study also found reading comprehension (RC), chemistry, and PAT portions of the DAT to be significantly related to annual GPA for all 4 years of dental school 7 .…”

“…A study of a master's program focused on preparing students for professional school found DATs and completion of a preprofessional physiology course to be positively related to success in dental school classes 14 . In contrast, students who took organic chemistry in a summer term were more likely to face academic difficulty in dental school 12 …”