The multi-factor analysis of computer-based test scores in objective structured clinical examination of clerkship in school of dentistry, National Taiwan University

Background/purpose: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is a test designed to test technical, clinical, and practical competency in medicine teaching. This study tried to evaluate the influencing factors of the computer-based tests (CBT) results for dental students. Materials and methods: The 32 5th-year dental students of the dental school of National Taiwan University (NTU) joined preclinical CBT. The contents of CBT included clinical knowl-edge and practical skills of nine dental specialties. Twenty single-choice questions were played with the PowerPoint 2016 on a desktop, and the playing time for each question was 30 s. Several factors including the gender, age, and dental student admission ways (with or without the skill tests) were evaluated. Also, the comparison between the clerk's grade and CBT scores of nine dental specialties was performed. The students also filled the feedback questionnaire about the examination questions and suggestions for the CBT. Results: There were no significant differences in the mean CBT scores between male and fe-male dental students, between two groups of dental students with or without the skill tests in the admission process, and among three different age groups of dental students. The clerk's scores were not directly related to the CBT scores. Conclusion: The CBT has been well-intentioned in dental education since 2022 in Taiwan. The CBT results revealed that the conjunction of knowledge from the textbook and clinical obser-vation should be enhanced. The guideline should be established to integrate CBT into preclin-ical education and promote the performance of clinical work of dental students.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the influencing factors of computer-based test (CBT) results for dental students. The results showed that factors such as gender, age, and admission criteria did not significantly affect CBT scores, and there was no direct correlation between clerk's scores and CBT scores. The study concluded that the integration of textbook knowledge and clinical observation should be enhanced, and guidelines should be established to incorporate CBT into preclinical education and improve the clinical performance of dental students.