(PO-205) Who Needs Support? An Analysis of Predoctoral Dental School Outcomes

Author: Emily Sabato, Ed.D. – Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Author: Susan DeMatteo, M.Ed. – Director of Institutional Assessment and Q.I., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Author: Shuying S. Jiang, MS – Research Associate, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Author: Herminio Perez, D.M.D. M.B.A. – Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Submitter: Emily Sabato, Ed.D. – Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine

Objective: Rutgers School of Dental Medicine investigated the relationship between first year and cumulative dental school outcomes to determine identifiers for students who may need academic support.



Objective: Rutgers School of Dental Medicine investigated the relationship between first year and cumulative dental school outcomes to determine identifiers for students who may need academic support.



Methods: For two cohorts totaling 156 students, all of whom graduated, student GPAs at the end of the first year (D1) and end of dental school (cumulative) in several categories were calculated: biomedical science (e.g. gross anatomy), preclinical science (e.g. didactic courses associated with preclinical laboratory courses as well as topics such as periodontics), preclinical laboratory, translational science (e.g. oral biology), clinical science (patient care), and overall GPA. Linear regression analyses were performed for each outcomes, where predictor variables at p< 0.10 in the bivariate analysis were included; statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. For this analysis, D1 GPAs were the independent variables. 0.5-unit increases were evaluated, as this represents half a letter grade, which is extremely significant in dental school.



Results: A 0.5-unit increase in D1 biomedical science GPA was associated with an increase in translational (0.242), basic science (0.053), and preclinical science (0.053) GPAs. A 0.05-unit increase in D1 GPA was associated with an increase in preclinical science (0.191), clinical science (0.084), and overall (0.386) GPA. Preclinical science and preclinical laboratory GPAs were not significantly related to clinical or overall GPAs.



Conclusion: The results of this analysis demonstrate the significant impact of high credit D1 courses on cumulative dental school GPA outcomes, as well as shows that students who are academically strong in D1 will continue to remain strong in subsequent clinical courses. Additional research is warranted into the influences in clinical grades. Student and Academic Affairs officers should focus resources on students who are underperforming early in dental school; tutoring and counseling services should be considered as well as social supports to help develop students into competent clinicians.