Analysis of educational profile, academic performance and importance given to scientific initiation

The purpose of this study was to identify educational profile and academic performance in the different disciplines, and to determine the importance given to scientific initiation. It was a retrospective study carried out by collecting secondary data, based on how the student ranked upon entry to the institution, and his dentistry course performance in the different basic, clinical and extension disciplines. The sample was made up of students who graduated from the Dentistry course at the Bauru Dental School – Sao Paulo University (FOB-USP), between the years of 2001 and 2005 (n=244), 45.9% of whom were male and 54.1% were female. Most of the people who enroll in the FOB-USP Dentistry course come from private elementary and high schools, mostly attending morning classes. They take preparatory college-board courses and have parents that have completed college. The best qualified students on the college entrance exam showed the best performance in college, in basic and clinical disciplines (p=0.001 and p=0.026); however, this correlation did not apply to the extension disciplines (p=0.577). More than half of the students were interested in and engaged in a scientific initiation program (52.8%). It can be concluded that the student’s performance in certain disciplines was related to his/her rank on the college entrance exam. In the present study the higher education institution assessed offered the necessary three-pronged base to provide training to professionals, namely, education, research and extension activities.