Clinical relevance of the theoretical and practical dental admission test at the medical university of Innsbruck; Austria

Aims: Overview of the dental education system at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. The performance of the established theoretical and practical dental admission test is presented. The essential requirements for taking part in the admission test and the operation procedure are explained in details. The evaluation and assesment of the theoretical and practical dental admission test are discussed and the criteria for selection are defined. The aim of this investigation was to examine the clinical relevance of the dental admission test for the selection of dental students in Austria. by examining the relationship between the results of the dental admission test and the student's performance in the first clinical year. Materials and Methods:A total of 5 complete classes of dental students (97: 41 female, 56 male) were examined in the 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 results of the students in the dental admission test were compared with the grades in their first clinical year. Results:The results of the dental admission test showed correltion with the performance of the students in the first clinical year. There was only one dropout after the student during the first clinical year. Conclusions:The current selection progress seems to be a good predictor for the success of dental students in Austria in the first clinical year. Keywords: Dental admission test, dental education, academic qualifications