title: The relationship of performance on the dental admission test and performance on Part I of the National Board Dental Examinations.
abstract: Although many schools use scores on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) to evaluate applicants, the association of these scores with students' performance on Part I of the National Board Dental Examinations (NBDE) has not been recently evaluated. In this study, the hypothesis that the DAT scores would be a significant predictor of Part I of the NBDE scores was tested. We analyzed by multiple regression the scores on both examinations for the 114 students matriculating in the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry in 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. The results indicate that DAT reading comprehension was a statistically significant predictor (p value less than or equal to 0.05) of all four subtests of Part I of the NBDE. The DAT biology and organic chemistry scores were statistically significant predictors of NBDE biochemistry-physiology, and the DAT quantitative analysis score was a statistically significant predictor of NBDE dental anatomy and occlusion. DAT perceptual ability and general chemistry were not significant predictors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Facial Development, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis 46202, USA. sdeball@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Ball
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horine
authors.forename: William K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Replogle
mesh_terms: D004497:Education, Dental; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D008005:Licensure, Dental; D008922:Mississippi; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011932:Reading; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D012586:Science / Q000193:education; D013044:Specialty Boards; D013850:Thinking