Assessment and Correlation of Contributing Factors for Hand Skill Performance among Undergraduate Students: A Questionnairebased Cross-sectional Survey

Introduction: The development of fine motor skills and visuospatial coordination is essential in dentistry, where precision and manual dexterity are critical for clinical success. Preclinical dental training incorporates tasks designed to enhance these psychomotor abilities. However, despite uniformity in training and no prior experience, students often exhibit varying levels of manual performance, suggesting that intrinsic or external factors may contribute to skill development. Hence, identifying such predictors of manual skill proficiency is critical in guiding early intervention for students. Using such predictors, it may be possible to identify students who may have difficulty in performing preclinical work at the start itself and can be given additional attention aimed at improving student’s performance. Aim: To evaluate the correlation between participation in extracurricular activities involving fine motor skills and performance in preclinical tasks among undergraduate dental students. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted at ITS Dental College, Hospital and Research Centre, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, over a period of three months from January to March 2025. The study included a sample of 200 Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students who were willing to participate. A modified, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess students’ self-reported participation in various extracurricular activities, such as playing musical instruments, crafting, and video gaming. The questionnaire was distributed in the form of a Google Form through students’ WhatsApp groups, and regular reminders were sent to improve the response rate. Students’ performance in two preclinical tasks-cavity preparation and basic wire bending (Adam’s clasp fabrication) were evaluated independently by two examiners to ensure reliability and reduce bias. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient to determine the relationship between the extent of participation in extracurricular activities and preclinical performance scores, with a p-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The analysis revealed no significant correlation between engagement in artistic or manual activities and performance in the assessed preclinical tasks. For cavity preparation, most variables showed weak and statistically nonsignificant correlations. The only significant correlation was found with motor driving skills (r=0.157, p=0.026*), indicating a small but statistically significant relationship. Similarly, for the fabrication of Adam’s clasp, none of the examined variables demonstrated statistically significant correlation with the examiner scores. Statistically significant correlation observed was with motor driving (r=0.189, p=0.007), indicating that students who reported having motor vehicle driving skills tended to perform well in Adam’s clasp fabrication. All other activities, including artistic work, crafting, music, video games, and culinary skills, did not show a significant relationship (p>0.05). Conclusion: Participation in extracurricular activities requiring fine motor skills does not appear to be a reliable predictor of preclinical performance. These findings suggest that while such activities may develop certain abilities, such as hand-eye coordination, concentration, attention to detail, and patience, however they do not significantly influence psychomotor outcomes in the context of preclinical hand skills.