Journal of Disability and Oral Health

cover art

Cover Date:
April 2007
Print ISSN:
1470-8558
Electronic ISSN:
1754-2758
Vol:
8
Issue:
1

Dyslexia and errors of left-right discrimination in undergraduate dental and postgraduate orthodontic students

Objective: To establish whether individuals who are identified as dyslexic are more prone to errors of left-right discrimination in comparison to non-dyslexic participants. Design: 155 students (84 dental undergraduates and 21 postgraduate students of orthodontics) completed a culture-fair intelligence test and a Symbol-Digit task test to assess dyslexia. The participants also undertook a task involving a series of left-right discriminations in an analogue clinical situation. Results: 35 respondents (33%) were identified as having scores suggestive of dyslexia from the psychometric tests. When respondents were asked directly if they believed they were dyslexic, eight respondents, separate from the 35 identified, indicated that they were dyslexic. Agreement between the identification of dyslexia by psychometric tests and by self-report was low (kappa=0.04). Individuals who were identified as having scores suggestive of dyslexia on the psychometric tests performed less well on the task of left-right discrimination, in comparison to those not so identified (Mean score for ‘Test dyslexic’ group 11.8, SD= 3.51; Mean score for ‘Test non-dyslexic’ group 13.9, SD=4.02; t=2.56 p<0.05). No difference in performance on the task of left-right discrimination was found between individuals who identified themselves as dyslexic and those who did not (Mean score for ‘Self report dyslexic’ group 14.8, SD= 4.76; Mean score for ‘Self report non-dyslexic’ group 13.9, SD=3.92; t=0.05 ns). Conclusions: For postgraduate students only, no significant relationship was found between identification as dyslexic and the occurrence of errors of left-right discrimination. When considering both undergraduates and postgraduates, individuals identified as having scores suggestive of dyslexia generally performed poorly on a task of left-right discrimination. Key words: Dyslexia, left-right discrimination, dentistry

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£15.00
Page Start
23
Page End
27
Authors
J T Newton, F McDonald, L Al Shirawi1

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 2
  3. 2

  1. Assessment of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need in disabled children in Nigeria
  2. 3
  3. 8

  1. An analysis of the pattern of dental treatment provided for patients with disabilities requiring treatment under general anaesthesia
  2. 9
  3. 12

  1. A longitudinal study of palatal plate therapy in children with Down syndrome. Effects on oral motor function
  2. 13
  3. 19

  1. Dyslexia and errors of left-right discrimination in undergraduate dental and postgraduate orthodontic students
  2. 23
  3. 27

  1. Management of Riga-Fede disease: a case report
  2. 28
  3. 30

  1. Delayed replantation of avulsed incisors in a child with cerebral palsy and epilepsy – a case report
  2. 31
  3. 33

  1. Using large numbers can overwhelm efforts to secure care for children with special health care needs. A case study in the USA
  2. 34
  3. 36

  1. A maxillary obturator for a cocaine induced oronasal defect
  2. 37
  3. 40

  1. A report on the development of a dental service for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse
  2. 41
  3. 44

  1. Preparing a child with autism for dental prophylaxis using structured and instructional methods: a case report
  2. 45
  3. 47

  1. Diary Dates 2007
  2. 48
  3. 48

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