Outcome assessment of the Dental Early Acceptance Program.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Dental School recruits a student body from a wide number of undergraduate institutions, primarily in Texas. One method supporting this effort is the Dental Early Acceptance Program (DEAP). This program is unique in that it grants conditional acceptance to dental school during a student's first year of undergraduate education and admission upon completion of three years of college coursework as directed by the student's undergraduate academic advisor. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the academic performance of DEAP students to students accepted through the standard competitive admissions process. The academic records of all students matriculating into our dental school between 1993 and 1996 were examined. National Board Dental Examination Parts I and II scores, the cumulative dental school and college GPAs, DAT scores, and demographic data were recorded. The data were analyzed descriptively and statistically. Graduation rates were 92 percent for DEAP students and 94 percent for standard admissions students. Comparison of college cumulative GPA between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference. A significant difference was found between the groups in their dental school cumulative GPA. In a comparison of National Board Examination scores, DEAP students had a significantly lower NBDE Part I mean score (82.9) than standard admissions students (85.8). DEAP students also showed significantly lower NBDE Part II scores (80.4) than standard admissions students (82.4).