Cerebral Dominance and associated factors in fourth year dentistry students

Abstract

Foundation: Dental practice depends at a great extent on manual abilities. In Cienfuegos, the number of left handed dentistry students has increased who in general have difficulties when starting the clinical cycle.Objective: to analyze the cerebral dominance and associated factors in fourth year dentistry students.Methods: Longitudinal, descriptive study with mixed observational methodology, developed at the University of Medical Sciences, Cienfuegos in the period from September 2013 to April 2017. Forty six fourth year dentistry students were included for whom the variables cerebral dominance,  laterality,  sex, academic index, coefficient of intelligence,  practical abilities and perception of left handed of their right hand use.Results: 80 % of the left handed was evaluated average in the practical abilities in the second year of the career. The use of the right hand in these students hand as main consequences feeling of insecurity. (80 %) and ansiety (90 %), in addition muscular pain (70 %). In fourth year, 69.44 % of right handed students had results of excellent in the practical abilities and 70% of the left handed had average.Conclusion: cerebral dominance influences the development of practical abilities in the dentistry students which start to be introduce from the fourth semester.</p