An examination of the relationship between emotional intelligence and dental student clinical performance

Emotional intelligence has emerged as a key factor in differentiating average from outstanding performers in managerial and leadership positions across multiple business settings, but relatively few studies have examined the role of emotional intelligence in the healthcare professions. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and dental student clinical performance. Two main hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis was that there is a relationship between cognitive ability and didactic performance. The second hypothesis was that there is a relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical performance. Data were collected from 100 dental students in the clinical component of the curriculum (years 3 and 4). The results showed that cognitive ability was significantly correlated with didactic performance and that emotional intelligence was significantly correlated with both didactic and clinical performance. This study makes an important contribution to the literature as the first of its kind to examine and provide evidence for the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical performance. Implications for future research and for graduate and professional education are discussed.