Unintended Demographic Bias in GPA/DAT‐Based Pre‐Admission Screening: An Argument for Holistic Admissions in Dental Schools

Abstract

Screening of applicants for admission to dental school often relies on metrics such as overall undergraduate grade point average (oGPA) and Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores to identify desirable prospective students. The aim of this study was to assess unintended selection bias that may be overlooked or mitigated with holistic review and the inluence of metrics at one U.S. dental school. Descriptive range analysis of oGPA and science GPA (sGPA), DAT scores, and total experience hours was performed for the 2017-18 application cycle for all applicants, those who self-identiied as underrepresented minorities (URM), non-traditional applicants (with postbaccalaureate or master's coursework), and socioeconomically disadvantaged (SED) applicants reporting low parental employment-occupation scores. The results showed that, in screening this school's applicant pool, metrics-based candidate selection would favor those candidates in the 80 th percentile of GPA and DAT Academic Average (AA) scores. Unless mitigated by other screening factors, reliance on these metrics tended to favor majority, traditional, and non-URM SED applicants. These indings suggested that the new admitted class would likely have fewer dental experience and employment hours than in the overall applicant pool. Interestingly, more non-traditional, SED, and URM applicants could be considered if higher general employment and dental experience hours had more impact in the screening process. These results illustrate the importance of deliberately considering non-cognitive metrics and characteristics to admit a more diverse student body.

Postbaccalaureate and graduate applicants to dental school: An analysis of holistic review

“…We have previously published an analysis that suggests that PBGR applicants resemble or are part of a group of applicants who are disadvantaged by undergraduate GPA-based selection to dental school. 9 This study confirms that, in this school's application process, while PBGR applicants comprise roughly 40% of the pool, they are much less likely to receive offers of admission compared to traditional applicants. Only 5%-6% of PBGR applicants receive offers of admission compared to over 13% of traditional applicants, and PBGR applicants comprise 14% (13 of 92) of the school's incoming class.…”

“…As we have previously published, 9 one unintended consequence of metrics‐based selection is a bias against individuals with high self‐reported employment hours. We analyzed the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles of applicant cohorts for traditional, postbaccalaureate, and graduate groups according to admissions committee decisions to see whether this bias persists in postbaccalaureate or graduate applicants (Table 6).…”

Predicting professional school performance with a unique lens: are there other cognitive predictors?

“…Schools like Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry have worked to improve enrollment and retention of students from underrepresented groups through strong mentoring programs [27]. Elks et al at Morehouse Medical School further supported the need to look beyond test scores and have programs in place to strengthen mentoring and academic support to improve academic performance and success on board exams [28] as well as Chaviano-Moran at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine [29]. Similarly, mentoring and professional development are a large part of OHS student success with our near-peer program [12].…”

Process, outcome, and impact evaluation of the ohio state university DentPath postbaccalaurate program

“…[2][3][4] Despite the progress in increasing racial and ethnic diversity in dental school programs, minority dental students still remain underrepresented when compared with the total population. [5][6][7][8][9] As a result, dental education programs have been attempting to increase the number of students from underserved communities in their programs. 8,10 Minority students have the potential to enrich dental education programs, enhance the dental profession, and address the unmet dental needs regardless of their ultimate practice location.…”

“…13 Factors affecting minority dental applicants include the effects of working through their undergraduate years, academic success toward the latter portion of the undergraduate years, and/or limited access to predental preparation programs that reduce their competitiveness compared to the high-performing majority of dental applicants. 5 The completion of a dental postbaccalaureate program provides an opportunity for these students to enhance their academic readiness, improve study skills, and increase their likelihood of gaining admission to a dental program. 10,13,14 The DentPath program was established at the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Dentistry (CoD) in 2002 and has been a vehicle for many individuals to obtain a professional career in dentistry who might not otherwise have the opportunity.…”