Dental school instructors have often observed some D1 and D2 students more easily develop psychomotor hand skills required for dental procedures than their peers. Could some lifelong, pre-dental school activities develop parts of the successful dental students’ brains to predispose them to adapt more easily to perform dental procedures? This study examines the results of an IRB-approved, 22-question survey of lifelong, pre-dental school activities taken anonymously by D1-D2 students over a six-year period, and correlations to lab practical exam performance, which may predict early dental school ability to develop the psychomotor hand skills required for dental procedures.
Learning Objectives:
Explain why some predental lifelong activities may predispose some D1 students to develop preclinical psychomotor dental hand skills more easily than their peers.
Interpret the survey results of the predental school life-long activity questionnaire and correlations to the respective D1-D2 lab practical exam scores and performance.
Utilize a predental school activity questionnaire to predict D1 psychomotor performance, and provide additional hand skill instruction to those predisposed to underperform.
