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Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811601
Original Article

Evaluation of the Manual Dexterity of Second-Year Dental Students after One Semester of Preclinical Training

Authors

  • Manar Qashou

    1   College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  • Hana Mulhem

    1   College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  • Deema Aldweik

    1   College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  • Noor Najim

    1   College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  • Asmaa T. Uthman

    2   Department of Diagnostic & Surgical Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

  • Mawada Abdelmagied

    3   Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

  • Tareq Aljafarawi

    4   Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Dentistry, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

  • Musab Saeed 

    4   Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Dentistry, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
    5   Centre of Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

  • Natheer H. Al-Rawi 

    1   College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
    6   Research Institute of Medical and Health Science Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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Abstract

Objectives

Utilizing the Purdue Pegboard exam and the O'Connor exam, we assessed the impact of a semester-long preclinical training on the manual dexterity of dental students. Moreover, we examined the impact of gender, additional dental education, and practical exercises on manual dexterity.

Materials and Methods

The study comprised a cohort of 45 preclinical students who were in their first year of dental school. The sample process was simple and convenient. Assessments were conducted at two distinct time points: T0, before the preclinical training laboratory, and T1, 7 months after the preclinical training laboratory. The Purdue Pegboard Test and the O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity Test were administered under identical conditions in both rounds of the trial. A validated survey was utilized to collect data on the gender, hands on activities, extra dental training, artistic skills, psychomotor skills, outdoor activities, and previous exposure to dental skills of each participant.

Results

The dental students in the study demonstrated a significant improvement in their manual dexterity skills from the dental simulation preclinical laboratory training (T0) to 7 months of laboratory training (T1). This improvement was measured using the Purdue Pegboard Test and the O'Connor Tweezer Dexterity Test, with statistical significance at p < 0.05. Females have a significantly higher score in the Purdue indirect visual test of the left hand than males. Students who dedicated extra time to dental training showed significant improvements compared with those who did not allocate extra time for training.

Conclusion

This study emphasizes the importance of manual dexterity in dental education and its correlation with preclinical training, hands-on practice, and gender. The results indicate significant improvements in manual dexterity following one semester of preclinical training, with discernible differences between genders. The findings highlight the significance of practice and further training in improving manual dexterity skills in dental students. This suggests that there may be implications for the development of curriculum and admissions procedures in dental education.

Keywords

manual dexterity - Pegboard Test - O'Connor test - dental training

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.


Ethical Approval

This study followed all protocols laid out in the 2014 Declaration of Helsinki and had the approval of the University of Sharjah's Human Subjects Research Ethics Committee (REC-23-01-23-01-S).




Publication History

Article published online:
11 September 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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