1252 Journal of Dental Education ■ Volume 66, No. 11 Undergraduate Basic Science Preparation for Dental School Sue P. Humphrey, R.D.H., M.S.Ed.; Robert E. Mathews, M.S.P.H.; Alan L. Kaplan, Ph.D.; Cynthia S. Beeman, D.D.S., Ph.D. Abstract: In the Institute of Medicine’s report Dental Education at the Crossroads, it was suggested that dental schools across the country move toward integrated basic science education for dental and medical students in their curricula. To do so, dental school admission requirements and recommendations must be closely reviewed to ensure that students are adequately prepared for this coursework. The purpose of our study was twofold: 1) to identify student dentists’ perceptions of their predental preparation as it relates to course content, and 2) to track student dentists’ undergraduate basic science course preparation and relate that to DAT performance, basic science course performance in dental school, and Part I and Part II National Board performance. In the first part of the research, a total of ninety student dentists (forty-five from each class) from the entering classes of 1996 and 1997 were asked to respond to a survey. The survey instrument was distributed to each class of students after each completed the largest basic science class given in their second-year curriculum. The survey investigated the area of undergraduate major, a checklist of courses completed in their undergraduate preparation, the relevance of the undergraduate classes to the block basic science courses, and the strength of requiring or recommending the listed undergraduate courses as a part of admission to dental school. Results of the survey, using frequency analysis, indicate that students felt that the following classes should be required, not recommended, for admission to dental school: Microbiology 70 percent, Biochemistry 54.4 percent, Immunology 57.78 percent, Anatomy 50 percent, Physiology 58.89 percent, and Cell Biology 50 percent. The second part of the research involved anony- mously tracking undergraduate basic science preparation of the same students with DAT scores, the grade received in a represen- tative large basic science course, and Part I and Part II National Board performance. Using T-test analysis correlations, results indicate that having completed multiple undergraduate basic science courses (as reported by AADSAS BCP hours) did not significantly (p<.05) enhance student performance in any of these parameters. Based on these results, we conclude that student dentists with undergraduate preparation in science and nonscience majors can successfully negotiate the dental school curricu- lum, even though the students themselves would increase admission requirements to include more basic science courses than commonly required. Basically, the students’ recommendations for required undergraduate basic science courses would replicate the standard basic science coursework found in most dental schools: anatomy, histology, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, and immunology plus the universal foundation course of biology. Ms. Humphrey is Associate Professor of Periodontics; Mr. Mathews is Admission and Student Affairs Officer; Dr. Kaplan is Associate Professor of Administrative Affairs; and Dr. Beeman is Associate Professor of Orthodontics, all at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. Direct correspondence and requests for reprints to Sue P. Humphrey, D-440 Chandler Medical Center, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, Lexington, KY 40536-0297; 859-323-1680 phone; 859-257-1847 fax; sphrdh@uky.edu. Key words: dental school admission, predental curriculum, basic science preparation Submitted for publication 3/18/02; accepted 8/23/02 A significant proportion of the dental school curriculum has been traditionally devoted to basic science instruction. As of 2000, the percentage of mean hours of basic science instruc- tion in the total dental school curriculum across the country is 17.3 percent. 1 The two major goals of the basic science curriculum are providing students the scientific basis for the clinical treatment of patients and developing students’ abilities to think and ana- lyze data critically. 2 The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Dental Education at the Crossroads clearly recommended the desirability of moving toward the integration of basic and clinical science concepts and practices. 3 For student dentists to be successful in this integrated curricula, it is important that they en- ter with a solid foundation in science and the scien- tific method. 4 This raises a question: Are students adequately prepared in the area of basic sciences before entering dental school? In recent years, more applicants to dental schools are coming from diverse backgrounds in terms of their undergraduate basic science prepara- tion and their major. 5 The IOM report also suggested initiatives to improve the quality of dental education, including upgraded admission standards so as to avoid the distress created for and by students who are not academically qualified to tackle predoctoral coursework. 3 Again, questions are raised: Do students feel that their experience in undergraduate basic sci- ence courses adequately prepares them for the rigors of the dental school basic science curriculum? Is