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Relationship Between Dental Students' Pre-Admission Record and Performance on the Comprehensive Basic Science
Kevin C Lee1, Victor Y Lee2, Laureen A Zubiaurre2
1Dr. Kevin Lee is a resident, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and student researcher, Office of Admissions and Student Affairs, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University; Dr. Victor Lee is student researcher, Office of Admissions and Student Affairs, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University; Dr. Zubiaurre is Associate Dean, Office of Admissions and Student Affairs, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University; Dr. Grbic is Director, Division of Foundational Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University; and Dr. Eisig is Chair, Section of Hospital Dentistry and Director, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University. kcl2136@cumc.columbia.edu.
Pre-admission data, including the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and undergraduate GPA, poorly predict performance on the Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE) for dental students. Only DAT Perceptual Ability scores showed a slight predictive relationship.
Area of Science:
- Dental Education
- Surgical Training
Background:
- The Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE) is primarily for oral and maxillofacial surgery training.
- Its use for dental students is a recent, unintended application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive relationship between pre-admission data and CBSE performance in dental students.
- To assess if DAT scores and undergraduate GPA can forecast CBSE outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of dental students (Classes of 2014-19) at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.
- Collected Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores, undergraduate GPAs, and CBSE scores for 49 students.
- Utilized regression analysis to identify predictors of CBSE performance.
Main Results:
- A full regression model including multiple pre-admission variables did not significantly predict CBSE scores (p=0.13).
- Stepwise regression identified only the DAT Perceptual Ability score as a significant predictor (p<0.01).
- DAT Perceptual Ability scores explained 15% of the variance in CBSE scores (R²=0.15).
Conclusions:
- Pre-admission academic metrics are generally weak predictors of Comprehensive Basic Science Examination performance for dental students.
- The DAT Perceptual Ability score shows a limited but statistically significant association with CBSE results.