Principal dental admissions officers: Who are dentistry's gatekeepers?

Little is known about principal dental admissions officers (PDAO) in U.S. dental schools who may be viewed as the gatekeepers to our schools. To address this gap, this study examined the characteristics of PDAOs in U.S. dental schools. A web-based, fifty-five-question survey on the personal and professional characteristics, roles, areas of responsibilities, and areas considered of importance to PDAOs was sent to fifty-six principal dental admissions officers at U.S. dental schools, followed by telephone calls to encourage participation. Thirty-eight PDAOs responded. The typical PDAO was Caucasian, fifty-two years of age, and had been in the position about eight years, earning dollar 80,000 annually. Most supervised one or more employees and spent time working for the school outside the admissions process. Student contact activity considered most important was counseling prospective students, while maintaining health and financial records was considered unimportant. Minority recruitment efforts were considered highly important by a majority of PDAOs. The PDAOs have varied educational backgrounds and positions, but perform functions primarily dedicated to admissions.