Predental Students Research Articles

Students' perceptions on shadowing during COVID-19 and an exploration of innovative solutions for clinical exposure.

The objective of this project was to evaluate the perceptions of predental students' shadowing experiences during a pandemic and further, explore innovative solutions that can be implemented to ensure that shadowing opportunities are equitable and accessible. Data was collected via the Web 2.0 social media platform, Instagram (owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.) from 122 participants attending college in North America and are on the predental track: freshman (N=11), sophomores (N=25), juniors (N=30), seniors (N=34) and recent college graduates (N=22). Participants completed a survey consisting of 20 questions. Results showed that the pandemic disrupted traditional shadowing methods; students turned to various virtual platforms, such as YouTube and Zoom, to obtain shadowing experiences. There was an increase in the number of students who shadowed virtually during the pandemic versus pre-COVID-19. The majority of the respondents (80%) agreed that dental schools have not provided sufficient guidance on how to approach shadowing during a pandemic. Innovative shadowing platforms should be implemented in order to help college students explore careers within dentistry and beyond. The development of a standardized virtual shadowing program with clear guidelines can increase equity and accessibility.

Perception, awareness, and attitude toward digital dentistry among pre-dental students: an observational survey

BackgroundPre-dental students’ perception and awareness about current technology in dentistry can influence their motivation and maturity during the learning experience and affect their dental education outcome. This observational survey aimed to examine pre-dental student's cognitive and behavioral traits as perception measures toward digital dentistry. The survey covered areas that the authors believed to impact dental education and future investments in institutional decision making. The survey was distributed over all pre-dental students representing two US dental schools in the state of Kentucky. The survey included four main categories: (1) career vision, (2) perception of digital dentistry, (3) prior knowledge of digital dentistry, and (4) personal intelligence.ResultsThe feedback was positive toward the future use of digital dentistry. The findings are discussed in light of the implications of pre-dental students' perception to support teaching and learning in dental education.ConclusionsDespite the expected enthusiasm of pre-dental students toward digital technology, the results highlight the need to emphasize structured self-learning, self-evaluation, and a deeper understanding of research within the dental curricula.

Academic Effectiveness of Non-face-to-face Classes in Deciduous Tooth Morphology Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to evaluate the academic effectiveness of non–face-to-face classes in deciduous tooth morphology practice. Under the course name dental morphology, a total of 60 dental students took face-to-face classes while 55 pre-dental students took non-face-to-face classes. Students were required to submit their practical assignments after 5 weeks of practical classes. To evaluate the academic effectiveness of non-faceto- face classes, practical assignments were scored by an evaluator and compared with face-to-face classes using the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi-square test. The results showed that the practical score in face-to-face classes was 77.43 ± 5.97 and the practical score in non-face-to-face classes was 76.04 ± 5.83. There was no significant difference in the academic effectiveness of face-to-face classes compared to non-faceto- face classes in deciduous tooth morphology practice (<i>p</i> > 0.05). This study suggests that non-face-to-face classes on introductory practice such as the dental morphology course can provide comparable quality to the education taught in traditional face-toface classes.

Factors Associated with Pre-Dental Students’ Intention and Willingness to Serve in the Underserved Community and Vulnerable Population

A potential solution to the problem of how to increase access to dental care for the underserved and vulnerable populations is to establish an early pipeline of underrepresented and minority college students for a career in dentistry. This study aims to explore factors associated with such pre-dental students’ future intentions to serve. A cross-sectional design was utilized with 144 participants completing the questionnaire with four sections, including participants’ demographics, experience in access to dental care, psychosocial factors, and intention to serve the underserved and vulnerable populations. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, and logistic regression were used for statistical analyses. A positive attitude (OR = 12.03) and higher confidence towards addressing access to dental care issues (OR = 10.43) were found to be the strongest factor for higher intention to serve the underserved and vulnerable populations. Higher knowledge on the prevalence of dental caries among children (OR = 3.18) and participants who experienced difficulty in getting a dental appointment, or finding an available dentist when needed (OR = 3.43), were also associated with higher intention. Identifying key factors associated with higher intention to serve the underserved and vulnerable populations as a future dentist may facilitate workforce recruitment in the Health Profession Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

Student-run free clinic project: lessons in compassion, community, and courage

For 25 years, UC San Diego Student-Run Free Clinic Project has provided free high-quality care to underserved communities, while inspiring the next generation of health professionals. Free thorough ongoing care is provided in community settings to people who have nowhere to turn and do not qualify for access to care. The clinic philosophy has four tenets: empowerment - creating environments where patients take charge of their lives and achieve wellbeing, a humanistic approach - embodying Rogerian principles of empathy, respect, and self-awareness, a transdisciplinary model, one where the patient and community are the teacher. This philosophy permeates the life of the clinic. These values are taught, modeled, expected, and observed in curricular components throughout the four years of medical school. 250 medical, 75 pharmacy, and 100 predental students are involved each year as well as students in law, social work, and acupuncture. Students learn to be healers, artists, teachers as they become health professionals. At each clinic session student leaders gather the team in a large circle, and lead a sharing of recent stories and experiences reflecting the core tenets. All work is directly supervised by licensed clinicians, many of whom were once free clinic students. During the era of COVID, care became virtual. Promotors helped patients learn to use Zoom to receive care. Visit attendance increased to 100%. Our Spanish language empowerment group met online. The clinic already provided healthy food bags to patients at medical visits. Students and volunteers organized to deliver food and medication to people’s homes.

Early pathways to research at the NIH.

This article, written by current student trainees within various intramural programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), describes how the NIH experience weaves world-class interdisciplinary research into the education of future oral healthcare professionals. This article highlights 4 programs and provides perspectives from current NIH student trainees on the significance of their programs to their career growth in an effort to increase program awareness for faculty and students, thus escalating participation of predental and dental students in programs at the NIH. Although the number of individuals pursuing careers in oral health research has been alarmingly few, dentistry is in a unique position to drastically expand its collaborative scientific workforce. Research must be integrated into the training of increased numbers of future dental professionals. This article describes how NIH programs address specific needs of the dental profession, including reducing disparities, advancing evidence-based personalized medicine, and solving multidisciplinary health challenges.

The relationship between non-cognitive student attributes and academic achievements in a flipped learning classroom of a pre-dental science course.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine whether non-cognitive student attributes such as learning style and personality type affected academic performance in a flipped learning classroom of a pre-dental undergraduate science course.Methods‘Biodiversity and Global Environment,’ a 15-week, 3-credit course, was designed as a flipped class in Seoul National University School of Dentistry in 2017. Second-year pre-dental students were required to enroll in the course and to engage in online learning and in-class discussion. The Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator were conducted to measure non-cognitive student factors. Independent samples t-test and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between self-rated measurements and academic achievement.ResultsMore than half of the students enrolled in the flipped science course had an assimilator learning style (50%), followed by convergers (24%), accommodators (16%), and divergers (10%), and their personality types were dominated by the introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging types, respectively. Examining group differences using the t-test demonstrated a significant relationship between the diverger group and higher academic success. In particular, the multivariate regression analysis indicated that both thinking types and female students performed better in discussion than feeling types and male students.ConclusionTo operate the flipped learning classroom more effectively in medical and dental education, the instructor should carefully develop and apply a more tailored facilitation and relevant assessment by considering student learning styles and personality types.

Flipped-learning course design and evaluation through student self-assessment in a predental science class

PurposeThis study explores how to design a flipped classroom for a predental science course and evaluate its course through student self-assessment in order to provide practical implications for flipped learning in an undergraduate level. MethodsSecond- and third-year predental students in the Seoul National University School of Dentistry enrolled in Biodiversity and Global Environment, a 15-week, three-credit course based on a flipped learning model. At the end of the course, the students were asked to rate their self-directed learning, attitude toward social media, discussion skills, learning readiness, and class satisfaction. Out of the 82 predental students, 61 (74.3%) answered the survey. Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between the self-rated measurements and the performance scores. ResultsThe majority of the students felt somewhat more prepared than the medium level before the class (mean score of 3.17 out of 5.00), whereas they expressed relatively low preference concerning social media use and attitude (mean score of 2.49). Thus, it was found that learning readiness was significantly associated with both discussion skills and class satisfaction. In particular, multivariate regression analysis confirmed that learning readiness had a significant influence on learning outcomes. ConclusionThis study offered insights into how to design a flipped learning course in terms of predental students’ preference and their learning readiness. Although learning success in a flipped classroom depends on the students’ self-perceived level of preparedness, much still remains to be achieved in order to apply social media benefits in a flipped learning context.

Impact of a Longitudinal Lecture Series on Pre-dental Student Recruitment

The expanding number of dental schools has not resulted in a rise in dental school applications; therefore, there is a need to identify and retain pre-dental students in the applicant pool. One way to do this is to introduce an outreach program by dental schools. A limited number of studies have been done on the impact of outreach programs on dental school recruitment.This study was done to examine the effectiveness of an outreach program initiated at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). Third- and fourth-year dental students provided 12 hours of lectures, two hours of case-based learning, and two hours of hands-on laboratory experience to pre-dental students over 12 weeks in a course called Introduction to Dentistry. The course was given in 2015 and 2016 and the participants were surveyed before and after the course to determine their interest in and knowledge of dentistry, and their attitude toward HSDM. After the course, pre-dental students had better understanding of the dental profession overall, were more comfortable conversing about dentistry, and were more likely to apply to HSDM in the future.Dental outreach programs can maintain or increase interest in applicants who were previously interested in applying to dental school; however, admissions committees must carefully consider an applicant’s entire academic and personal background. Participation in an outreach program is not an indication of an applicant’s overall suitability for dentistry in general or for a particular dental school’s program.

A Program to Recruit and Mentor Future Academic Dentists: Successes and Challenges

There is a continuing shortage of academic dentists due to myriad factors. However, each graduating class of dental students includes a select group who choose to explore academic positions. It is this group of potential academic dentists that a four-year R25 initiative, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, has targeted with the intent of increasing their numbers and mentoring them for success in a future faculty position. The aims of the program at the School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, are to target and recruit potential clinician-scientists and to design and implement an Academic Track (AT) that complements existing clinical and research training with the comprehensive skill set of pedagogical, organizational, and personal strategies necessary to be successful in an academic career. Recruitment to the AT targeted candidates from a variety of sources including those enrolled in the dual D.D.S./M.S. and D.D.S./Ph.D. programs, dental residents, Ph.D. candidates in other disciplines, and predental students. Through a variety of professional development activities in the AT, selected students receive teaching, leadership, and mentoring experiences. Outcomes and lessons learned related to specific activities and lessons learned are presented in this article, and a model that recognizes the diverse paths to an academic career in dentistry is recommended.

Predental Students’ Attitudes Toward and Perceptions of the Dental Profession

The purpose of this study was to assess reasons students seek a career in dentistry, their perceptions of the dental school admissions process, and their expectations of the profession. Of 155 predental students participating in a dental school simulation course offered at a Nevada dental school, 152 participated in this study (68.4 percent [n=104] male, and 31.6 percent [n=48] female). When asked when they made the decision to pursue a career in dentistry, 52 percent (n=79) said they decided in college, while 33.6 percent (n=51) made the decision in high school. A slight majority of the respondents (52.6 percent; n=80) identified their family dentist as having the greatest influence in their decision. Nearly half (47.8 percent; n=64) expected to pursue a career in general dentistry, while the next largest subgroup expected to pursue orthodontics (16.4 percent; n=22). A significant majority of the respondents (72.8 percent; n=110) perceived the dental school admissions process to be fair. Males were significantly more likely to identify themselves as competitive applicants than did females (chi(2)=9.644; p<.01). Approximately half (47.4 percent; n=72) anticipate earning between $100,000 and $199,999 within five years after graduation, with 50.7 percent (n=77) anticipating working between thirty-five and forty hours a week. By understanding the applicant pool and their perceptions, admissions committees can better prepare to attract the applicants they desire.

Feeding the Pipeline: Academic Skills Training for Predental Students

This article reports the outcomes of an evaluation conducted to determine if an academic skills training program for undergraduate predental students from underrepresented minority backgrounds increased the students' standardized academic skills test scores for vocabulary, reading comprehension, reading rates, spelling, and math as well as subject-specific test results in biology, chemistry, and physics. Data from standardized academic skill tests and subject-specific tests were collected at the beginning and end of the 1998 to 2006 Pipeline Programs, six-week summer enrichment programs for undergraduate predental students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In total, 179 students (75.4 percent African American, 7.3 percent Hispanic, 5.6 percent Asian American, 5 percent white) attended the programs during these nine summers. Scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test showed that the students improved their vocabulary scores (percentile ranks before/after: 46.80 percent/59.56 percent; p<.001), reading comprehension scores (47.21 percent/62.67 percent; p<.001), and reading rates (34.01 percent/78.31 percent; p<.001) from the beginning to the end of the summer programs. Results on the Wide Range Achievement Test III showed increases in spelling (73.58 percent/86.22 percent; p<.001) and math scores (56.98 percent/81.28 percent; p<.001). The students also improved their subject-specific scores in biology (39.07 percent/63.42 percent; p<.001), chemistry (20.54 percent/51.01 percent; p<.001), and physics (35.12 percent/61.14 percent; p<.001). To increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the dental school admissions pool, efforts are needed to prepare students from disadvantaged backgrounds for this process. These data demonstrate that a six-week enrichment program significantly improved the academic skills and basic science knowledge scores of undergraduate predental students. These improvements have the potential to enhance the performance of these students in college courses and thus increase their level of competitiveness in the dental school admissions process.

Nonacademic Characteristics of Dental School Applicants

The purpose of this study was to characterize the average dental school applicant's participation in four nonacademic areas: shadowing, extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences, and research. Demographic, academic, and nonacademic information was compared for 12 percent of all applicants to U.S. dental schools in 2005. Applicants had an average GPA of 3.23 and DAT Academic Average of 18.6. Applicants participated in an average of 3.7 extracurricular activities, 3.2 volunteer experiences, and 0.8 research projects. The average nondental employee applicant shadowed 172 hours. As shadowing hours increased, GPA declined. While academically similar, women reported significantly greater (p<.05) participation in all four nonacademic areas than males. Overall, Hispanic students reported the most shadowing hours and had the greatest percentage of parents as dentists, while black students had the least in both areas. Black students reported the most extracurricular activities. More than 90 percent of all applicants participated in three or four of the major nonacademic areas. Participation in extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences, and research projects was correlated; however, there was no relationship between shadowing hours and the other areas. Applicants with the most shadowing tended to be less academically qualified. The typical applicant reported a total of approximately eight extracurricular, volunteer, and research endeavors and 170 or more hours of shadowing. Results of this study can assist dental admissions committees in making qualitative comparisons between applicants with similar academic qualifications and aid health career counselors in advising predental students.

The Role of Free Dental Programs in Care Provision for the Underserved

Due to the shortcomings of the existing healthcare delivery system in general, and the dental field in particular, safety net programs are not simply optional; they are mandatory to help meet the overwhelming healthcare needs of the underserved. Free dental clinics are a vital part of this system, and indeed, millions of actual dollars, millions of dollars worth of services and thousands of hours of professional manpower are donated each year to provide free dental services for the needy. The short-term benefits of these clinics are obvious, the rendering of dental care to tens of thousands of individuals per year who would otherwise go without. The long-term advantages may be somewhat less than obvious, however. Given that most dental professionals have limited contact with the underserved, the free clinics offer the opportunity to bring in volunteer dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants who may then gain first-hand knowledge of the access crisis and work directly with North Carolina's growing population in greatest need of dental care. Additionally, the free clinics often offer the same benefit for dental students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as for undergraduate pre-dental students. This is a key aspect, as for every one of these students who may eventually enter the dental profession with a willingness to provide for the underserved population, tens of thousands of individuals in need could potentially receive dental treatment over the span of a dental career. The challenges of beginning and maintaining a free dental program over the long term are daunting. However, for those willing to invest the time and effort, the resources are available for long-term success with a resultant significant, positive impact on the dental care access crisis now in existence. As stated by Dr. Franklin M. Boyar in describing his free dental program in Florida, " Dentists Care is simply an organization that brings together unmet health needs of indigent populations within our communities with the desire of individual dentists to help their fellow man, along with the responsibility of a profession to deliver needed care to the underserved." Inherent in consideration of itself as a profession is the understanding by the component members of dentistry that it is indeed a responsibility, not simply an option, to deliver needed dental care to all citizens, regardless of their ability to pay. At the heart of any successful resolution of the dental care access crisis is the ability of dental providers to accept this responsibility, significantly increase Medicaid acceptance, willingly participate in access initiatives, and provide the care for which they have been granted licensure by the citizens of North Carolina.

Predental and Dental Students Serve the Community and Learn About Preventive Dentistry

Dear Dr. Alvares: Many low-income families face the problem of not being able to support the medical and dental needs of their children. Resources such as health fairs and school visits are often the only means by which parents are able to provide medical and dental care for their kids. The UCLA

The Effects of Finger Rest Positions on Hand Muscle Load and Pinch Force in Simulated Dental Hygiene Work

One of the techniques taught in dental and dental hygiene programs is to use finger rests to stabilize the instrument while performing dental scaling or other types of dental work. It is believed that finger rests may also reduce muscle stress and prevent injury due to muscle fatigue. In this study the effects of three different finger rest positions on hand muscle activity and thumb pinch force were compared. Twelve predental students performed simulated dental scaling tasks on a manikin using three different finger rest positions: 1) no finger rest, 2) one finger rest, and 3) two finger rests. Muscle activity and thumb pinch force were measured by surface electromyography and a pressure sensor, respectively. Using two finger rests was always associated with reduced thumb pinch force and muscle activity, as compared to not using any finger rests (p<0.05), while using one finger rest reduced thumb pinch force and muscle activity in most cases. Hence, using finger rests plays an important role in reducing the muscle load of the hand in students performing simulated dental hygiene work. It is concluded that dental and dental hygiene students may benefit from instructions for using finger rests at an early stage of their clinical training. Including biomechanical and ergonomic principles in dental and dental hygiene curricula will raise awareness of ergonomics among dental practitioners and help them incorporate these principles into daily practice.

Time management behaviors as potential explanatory factors in dental academic achievement

DAT scores and predental GPAs have made the greatest but an imperfect contribution to the reliable estimation of dental students' academic success. One variable unaddressed yet having potential in accounting for unexplained variability in dental school performance is time management behaviors (TMB), a multidimensional attribute that is critical to success in a dental curriculum. Research has indicated a relationship of TMB dimensions (Setting Goals and Priorities, Mechanics of Time Management, Preference for Organization) with undergraduate academic achievement. The purposes of this study were: 1) to ascertain the levels of TMB dimensions reflected in predental students; 2) to validate in predental students the relationship of TMB dimensions and undergraduate academic achievement; and 3) to explore the relationship of TMB dimensions of predental students as explanatory variables of their early academic achievement in the dental curriculum. All individuals who were applicants interviewed for the 1997 entering D.D.S. class and the majority of members of the 1996 entering D.D.S. class participated in this study (n = 192). Each completed the TMB scale. High levels of TMB across dimensions were observed in predental and dental students. Unlike prior research, results showed virtually no relationship of TMB dimensions with undergraduate GPA of these subjects. Though a small relationship was found between dimensions and first-year dental GPAs, no dimension explained a significant amount of variance in any of these dental GPAs beyond that of undergraduate science GPA.

Teaching at the Interface between Genetics and Law

By combining one-half of a regular genetics course with a special half describing the use of genetics in legal decisions, a new course, "Genetics and the Law," has been offered at Union College for the past few years. The course stresses the interface between strictly genetic discoveries and their use in all fields of law as a basis for judicial actions. The course, open to all except biology majors and premedical or predental students, serves as part of Union College's "Liberal Learning Program," and as one of the two courses, among many, serving as science credits needed for graduation. The special conditions under which this course is possible, as well as the methods of teaching and the problems encountered both in attracting students and in designing a comparable course are presented.

A multidisciplinary approach to radiology instruction for predental students

Journal of Dental EducationVolume 48, Issue 8 p. 473-475 Article A multidisciplinary approach to radiology instruction for predental students EA Mauss, EA MaussSearch for more papers by this authorH Frommer, H FrommerSearch for more papers by this authorB Budick, B BudickSearch for more papers by this author EA Mauss, EA MaussSearch for more papers by this authorH Frommer, H FrommerSearch for more papers by this authorB Budick, B BudickSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 August 1984 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.0022-0337.1984.48.8.tb01813.xAbout ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume48, Issue8August 1984Pages 473-475 RelatedInformation

Restructuring ability among premedical and predental minority students

Restructuring ability among premedical and predental minority students