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Journal of Clinical and Translational Research 2024; 10(6): 343-347




                                       Journal of Clinical and Translational Research

                                              Journal homepage: http://www.jctres.com/en/home


        ORIGINAL ARTICLE

        Correlation between students’ Bruininks–Oseretsky test scores and

        cavity preparation performance on layered base plate blocks



        Ammar Musawi * , Rami Al-Saidi , Shalini Bhatia 3  , Kneka Smith 4  , Patricia Inks 5  , Hamid Nurrohman 6
                     1
                                      2
                                                                                           2
        1 Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health, A.T. Still University, Kirksville, Missouri, United States of America,  Private Practice, Dental
        Implants of Ocala, Florida, United States of America,  Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee,
                                               3
        United States of America,  MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, United States of America,  Department of Dental Operations,
                                                                                      5
                           4
        Healthcare Network, Naples, Florida, United States of America,  Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry,
                                                      6
        University of Texas, Houston, Texas, United States of America
        ARTICLE INFO                       ABSTRACT
        Article history:                   Background: Hand skills are a crucial competency for practicing dentistry. However, assessing
        Received: March 6, 2024            candidates’ skill levels during dental school admissions in the United States is not a standard
        Accepted: October 29, 2024         criterion due to the absence of accurate tools. Consequently, some students struggle to develop
        Published Online: December 10, 2024  these skills, leading to dropouts, financial losses (i.e., tuition and living expenses), and an increased
                                           burden on the faculty to support struggling students.
        Keywords:                          Aim: This study aims to assess the correlation between student scores on the Bruininks–Oseretsky
        Bruininks–Oseretsky test 2         Test  of  Motor  Proficiency  2  (BOT-2)  and  cavity  preparation  performance  on  Learn-A-Prep  II
        Innate hand skills                 (LAP II) layered base plate blocks.
        Dental admission                   Methods:  First-year  dental  students  completed  the  BOT-2.  A  total  score  and  subtest  scores,
                                           evaluating fine  motor  precision  (seven  tasks),  fine  motor  integration (eight  tasks),  and  manual
        *Corresponding author:             dexterity (five tasks), were calculated. Students were also given basic handpiece training and visual
        Ammar Musawi                       and verbal project criteria for using the LAP II. They were then instructed to independently prepare
        Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health,   LAP II patterns within the pattern lines at a specified depth. Scores for the BOT-2 were compared
        A.T. Still University, Kirksville, Missouri,   with LAP II performance (excellent, moderate, or poor).
        United States of America.          Results: Forty-two students participated in the study. A general linear model (a combination of both
        Email: amusawi@atsu.edu            regression and analysis of variance tests) was used to compare outcomes between students with
                                           excellent and poor performance. A strong correlation was found between the BOT-2 total scores
        © 2024 Author(s). This is an Open-Access   and LAP II performance (P = 0.04). No correlation was found when comparing the performance
        article distributed under the terms of the   of moderate students with that of excellent and poor students. The manual dexterity BOT-2 scores
        Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial   were correlated with LAP II performance (P = 0.01), but fine motor precision and fine motor
        License, permitting all non-commercial use,
        distribution, and reproduction in any medium,   integration BOT-2 scores were not (both P > 0.12).
        provided the original work is properly cited.  Conclusion: Results of the current study suggested that scores for the BOT-2 manual dexterity
                                           subtest reliably identified dental students with either excellent or poor hand skills. Dental educators
                                           should consider using the BOT-2 as a predictive tool to identify the innate hand skills of students.
                                           Relevance for Patients:  Identifying  candidates  with  strong  hand  skills  during  dental  school
                                           admissions  enables  schools  to  select  students  better  equipped  to  excel  in  clinical  training  and
                                           enhance the quality of patient care provided.



                                           1. Introduction
                                             Dental education involves a complex combination of didactic and practical training.
                                           Worldwide,  dental  school  admission is often  based on academic  success, cognitive
                                           factors,  and  interpersonal  characteristics.  In  the  United  States  of  America  (USA),
                                           dental schools offer 4-year programs that traditionally rely on the predental cumulative

                                               DOI: http://doi.org/10.36922/jctr.24.00009
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