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Academic promotion is linked to research productivity. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between quantitative measures of academic productivity and academic rank among academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons. This was a cross-sectional study of full-time academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States. The predictor variables were categorized as demographic (gender, medical degree, research doctorate, other advanced degree) and quantitative measures of academic productivity (total number of publications, total number of citations, maximum number of citations for a single article, I-10 index [number of publications with ≥ 10 citations], and h-index [number of publications h with ≥ h citations each]). The outcome variable was current academic rank (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, or endowed professor). Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression statistics were computed to evaluate associations between the predictors and academic rank. Receiver-operator characteristic curves were computed to identify thresholds for academic promotion. The sample consisted of 324 academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons, of whom 11.7% were female, 40% had medical degrees, and 8% had research doctorates. The h-index was the most strongly correlated with academic rank (ρ = 0.62, p < 0.001). H-indexes of ≥ 4, ≥ 8, and ≥ 13 were identified as thresholds for promotion to associate professor, professor, and endowed professor, respectively (p < 0.001). This study found that the h-index was strongly correlated with academic rank among oral and maxillofacial surgery faculty members and thus suggests that promotions committees should consider using the h-index as an additional method to assess research activity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among dental students' performance on the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE Parts I and II), comprehensive written multiple-choice question examinations (MCQ examinations), and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) administered at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). Outcomes were measured during the third and fourth years at HSDM for the classes of 2006 and 2007. Three separate OSCE exams and two comprehensive MCQ examinations are administered during years 3 and 4 at HSDM per class. The study group was made up of sixty-two students (thirty-two females and thirty males). The average NBDE Parts I and II scores of the study population were 93.32 +/-4.02 and 84.63 +/-4.25, respectively, and were associated with outcomes on all three OSCE examinations (p

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between student performance and tutor expertise and experience in the Restorative Treatment course in a problem-based learning (PBL) dental curriculum. This retrospective study evaluated a cohort of 206 third-year dental students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine who were enrolled in the Restorative Treatment course between 2000 and 2005. Tutor expertise in prosthodontics and prior tutoring experience were measured against student performance in five areas: 1) tutorial session, 2) midterm examination, 3) final examination, 4) preclinical laboratory, and 5) overall cumulative course grade. Student performance in each of the five areas measured against combinations of tutor subject matter expertise and tutoring experience level showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in the overall course grade. However, student performance in the expert group showed a significant difference in the final examination compared to the nonexpert group (p

Academic promotion is linked to research productivity. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between quantitative measures of academic productivity and academic rank among academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons. This was a cross-sectional study of full-time academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States. The predictor variables were categorized as demographic (gender, medical degree, research doctorate, other advanced degree) and quantitative measures of academic productivity (total number of publications, total number of citations, maximum number of citations for a single article, I-10 index [number of publications with ≥ 10 citations], and h-index [number of publications h with ≥ h citations each]). The outcome variable was current academic rank (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, or endowed professor). Descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression statistics were computed to evaluate associations between the predictors and academic rank. Receiver-operator characteristic curves were computed to identify thresholds for academic promotion. The sample consisted of 324 academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons, of whom 11.7% were female, 40% had medical degrees, and 8% had research doctorates. The h-index was the most strongly correlated with academic rank (ρ = 0.62, p0.001). H-indexes of ≥ 4, ≥ 8, and ≥ 13 were identified as thresholds for promotion to associate professor, professor, and endowed professor, respectively (p0.001). This study found that the h-index was strongly correlated with academic rank among oral and maxillofacial surgery faculty members and thus suggests that promotions committees should consider using the h-index as an additional method to assess research activity.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible associations between a variety of measures used to evaluate didactic knowledge and clinical performance within a predoctoral dental program. In this study, clinical performance was assessed by clinical productivity and clinical proficiency across four different competency areas: operative dentistry, major restorative dentistry, fixed prosthodontics, and removable prosthodontics. Predental and preclinical predictors were undergraduate GPAs (overall and science), DAT subtest scores (including the Perceptual Ability Test, PAT), and performance on subtests of Part I of the National Board Dental Examination. The sample consisted of eighty-four students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine who graduated during the period 2002–04. Associations between predictors and outcomes were first evaluated individually. Any associations that were near statistically significant (p=0.15) were then included in a multiple linear regression model. The criterion for statistical significance in the multiple linear regression model was p=0.05. While a number of measures were associated in bivariate analyses, few predictors were statistically significantly associated with clinical outcomes in the multiple regression analyses. Those predictors that were associated with clinical outcomes were also not consistently associated with the different outcomes studied. These data indicate that, within this study population, there is little to no uniform association between preclinical didactic performance and measurements of clinical productivity and clinical proficiency. It is possible that the overlap in skill sets required for success in the predental/preclinical and clinical areas is minimal.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between performance on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and Part I of the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE Part I) for students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). This study was a retrospective cohort study, examining HSDM students over an eight-year period. Data regarding DAT and NBDE Part I scores were obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Descriptive statistics were computed for all study variables. Multiple linear regression analyses were subsequently computed to examine the relationship between DAT subtest scores and performance on NBDE Part I subtests. Goodness of fit for the models was evaluated using the R-squared value. Statistically significant associations were those with p-value =0.05. Data were available for 244 students who matriculated at HSDM during the period of 1995–2002. DAT reading comprehension scores were statistically significantly associated with performance on all four subsections of the NBDE Part I. DAT general and organic chemistry scores were associated with performance on the microbiology and pathology subtest of NBDE Part I. Performance on the perceptual ability test was associated with performance on the dental anatomy and occlusion subtest. Performance on the DAT reading comprehension subtest was the most reliable predictor of performance on the NBDE Part I. However, the variability in NBDE Part I scores is not accounted for significantly by variability in DAT scores.

Dental students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) are required to pursue and complete research projects in order to obtain the doctor of dental medicine (D.M.D.) degree. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of curriculum changes on a set of measurable outcomes related to research pursuits. This study was designed as a retrospective analysis of outcomes data from the period 1992-2002. The predictor variable was program format (non-PBL vs. PBL); the outcome variables were the percentage of students listed as authors on an IADR/AADR abstract during their tenure at HSDM and the percentage of students listed as first and/or presenting authors. Univariate statistics were computed for each class, and independent samples t-tests were used to compare the study groups with regard to our outcomes. For the majority of our outcomes, there was no statistically significant difference between the PBL and non-PBL groups, possibly due to sample size limitations. While the implementation of PBL at HSDM has not universally increased student productivity in research, it has not had an adverse effect either. It is possible that students in the PBL curriculum are nurturing other interests, such as community service, while retaining productivity in research.

Dental students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) participate fully in the first two years of the curriculum with the Harvard Medical School (HMS) while also taking parallel dental classes. HSDM students were first exposed to problem-based learning (PBL) in 1987 when the "New Pathway" curriculum was introduced at HMS in the first two years of the medical school curriculum (the HSDM courses remained traditional lecture-based classes). In 1994, HSDM incorporated PBL into the first, second, and third (clinical year) year dental courses, and the curriculum shifted from a five-year curriculum to a four-year curriculum. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of PBL and program length on measurable outcomes for dental education: NBDE Part I scores, attrition and graduation rates, and percentage of graduates entering postdoctoral training programs. This study was designed as a retrospective analysis of outcomes data from 1980 to 2002. Univariate linear regressions were computed for each measure against each outcome. Subsequent bivariate regression analyses revealed that the implementation of PBL has markedly affected NBDE Part I scores, graduation rates, attrition rates, entrance into postdoctoral plans, and percentage of graduates entering GPR/AEGD programs, while program length has had an effect on graduation rates, attrition rates, entrance into postdoctoral programs, and percentage of graduates entering GPR/AEGD programs. The findings of this report suggest that the implementation of PBL combined with a change in program length has been successful for all outcomes measured and that PBL alone has contributed to the rise in NBDE Part I scores among HSDM graduates.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between student performance and tutor expertise and experience in the Restorative Treatment course in a problem-based learning (PBL) dental curriculum. This retrospective study evaluated a cohort of 206 third-year dental students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine who were enrolled in the Restorative Treatment course between 2000 and 2005. Tutor expertise in prosthodontics and prior tutoring experience were measured against student performance in five areas: 1) tutorial session, 2) midterm examination, 3) final examination, 4) preclinical laboratory, and 5) overall cumulative course grade. Student performance in each of the five areas measured against combinations of tutor subject matter expertise and tutoring experience level showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in the overall course grade. However, student performance in the expert group showed a significant difference in the final examination compared to the nonexpert group (p0.05). Also, students in the group consisting of expert tutors with no experience performed better on the final examination compared to those students who had expert tutors with experience (p0.05). The results indicate that overall student performance in the problem-based Restorative Treatment course is not affected by tutor expertise or prior tutoring experience.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible associations between a variety of measures used to evaluate didactic knowledge and clinical performance within a predoctoral dental program. In this study, clinical performance was assessed by clinical productivity and clinical proficiency across four different competency areas: operative dentistry, major restorative dentistry, fixed prosthodontics, and removable prosthodontics. Predental and preclinical predictors were undergraduate GPAs (overall and science), DAT subtest scores (including the Perceptual Ability Test, PAT), and performance on subtests of Part I of the National Board Dental Examination. The sample consisted of eighty-four students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine who graduated during the period 2002-04. Associations between predictors and outcomes were first evaluated individually. Any associations that were near statistically significant (p=0.15) were then included in a multiple linear regression model. The criterion for statistical significance in the multiple linear regression model was p=0.05. While a number of measures were associated in bivariate analyses, few predictors were statistically significantly associated with clinical outcomes in the multiple regression analyses. Those predictors that were associated with clinical outcomes were also not consistently associated with the different outcomes studied. These data indicate that, within this study population, there is little to no uniform association between preclinical didactic performance and measurements of clinical productivity and clinical proficiency. It is possible that the overlap in skill sets required for success in the predental/preclinical and clinical areas is minimal.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between performance on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and Part I of the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE Part I) for students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). This study was a retrospective cohort study, examining HSDM students over an eight-year period. Data regarding DAT and NBDE Part I scores were obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Descriptive statistics were computed for all study variables. Multiple linear regression analyses were subsequently computed to examine the relationship between DAT subtest scores and performance on NBDE Part I subtests. Goodness of fit for the models was evaluated using the R-squared value. Statistically significant associations were those with p-value =0.05. Data were available for 244 students who matriculated at HSDM during the period of 1995-2002. DAT reading comprehension scores were statistically significantly associated with performance on all four subsections of the NBDE Part I. DAT general and organic chemistry scores were associated with performance on the microbiology and pathology subtest of NBDE Part I. Performance on the perceptual ability test was associated with performance on the dental anatomy and occlusion subtest. Performance on the DAT reading comprehension subtest was the most reliable predictor of performance on the NBDE Part I. However, the variability in NBDE Part I scores is not accounted for significantly by variability in DAT scores.

Dental students at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) are required to pursue and complete research projects in order to obtain the doctor of dental medicine (D.M.D.) degree. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of curriculum changes on a set of measurable outcomes related to research pursuits. This study was designed as a retrospective analysis of outcomes data from the period 1992-2002. The predictor variable was program format (non-PBL vs. PBL); the outcome variables were the percentage of students listed as authors on an IADR/AADR abstract during their tenure at HSDM and the percentage of students listed as first and/or presenting authors. Univariate statistics were computed for each class, and independent samples t-tests were used to compare the study groups with regard to our outcomes. For the majority of our outcomes, there was no statistically significant difference between the PBL and non-PBL groups, possibly due to sample size limitations. While the implementation of PBL at HSDM has not universally increased student productivity in research, it has not had an adverse effect either. It is possible that students in the PBL curriculum are nurturing other interests, such as community service, while retaining productivity in research.