Clinical Relevance of the Dental Admission Test in Innsbruck, Austria

Objectives:

The number of applicants for the dental curriculum exceeds the number of available positions. The decisions about who will be successful in dental school performance becomes necessarily important. Since 2000 the selection of dental students at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria is performed by the theoretical and practical dental admission test. The aim of this investigation was to examine the suitability of the selection procedure for its clinical relevance.

Methods:

A total of 5 complete classes (2001-2005) of dental students (97: 43 female, 54 male) were retrospectively reviewed in this study. The dental admission test contained 5 practical tests to assess the fine motor skills and spatial ability. The following practical tests were used: waxing test, bending wire test, smoothing and polishing the surface of an acrylic block, milling a defined line with a diamond bur and drilling parallel wholes. The relationship between the results of the dental admission test, the studentxs performance in the first clinical year, gender, studying in regular study period, drop off and previous academic degree were compared.

Results:

Students with medical degree and students in regular study period were significantly better performers in the dental admission test. No signifiance was found between male and female students in the dental admission test. Students with medical degree and students in regular study period showed significantly better grades in the first clinical year.

Conclusions:

This investigation has found a significant correlation between the dental admission test and the clinical performance of the students. The test should decrease drop offs, higher overall grade averages and selectively exclude applicants who will be unsuccessful in the practical courses. The current selection procedure seems to be a good predictor for the success of the dental students in the first clinical year in Innsbruck.