OSCE and Case Presentations As Active Assessments of Dental Student Performance

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and case presentation (CP) as forms of active assessment were effective measures of overall didactic knowledge and clinical performance in a predoctoral dental curriculum. This evaluation was conducted by statistical analysis of quality points (QP) awarded for didactic and clinical performance, CP grades, and OSCE scores for 185 students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine who graduated during the period 2010-14. As part of the requirements for graduation, each student takes three OSCEs and presents two patient cases. Data for the study were obtained from the Office of the Registrar. The results showed no direct correlation between QP and CP grades and no correlation between CP grades and OSCE scores. However, there was a correlation between OSCE scores and QP. Students with honors-level scores on any of the three OSCEs received significantly more QP than students who did not receive honors. In addition, students with passing scores on OSCEs 2 and 3 received significantly more QP than students with failing or marginal OSCE scores. Innovative formats of active assessment such as OSCEs and CPs can promote a student-centered learning environment. These data indicated that, within this study population, there was a positive association between OSCE scores and clinical and didactic performance, supporting the value of OSCEs as a means of assessment.