Predicting National Dental Hygiene Board Examination success based on specific admission factors

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are specific admissions criteria that are significantly correlated with a student's National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) total score and case-based score. Specifically, the study examined the relation between an individual's reading acuity and their scores on the NBDHE. Because of the competitive nature of most dental hygiene admissions, selecting those applicants who are more likely to be successful in the academic program and pass the NBDHE is critical.

Total NBDHE scores and case-based scores of 214 students attending Western Kentucky University's Program of Dental Hygiene between 2002 and 2010 were examined to determine if significant correlations existed. Specific factors examined were each student's total NBDHE score, as well as the score on the case-based section of the examination, age, microbiology lecture grade, microbiology lab grade, anatomy and physiology grade, college GPA, English grade, psychology grade, composite ACT score and subcomponent scores of the ACT (math, reading, English and science).

Results revealed that the strongest predictors of total NBDHE scores were the score on the reading portion of the ACT (r=0.715, r2=0.511, p=0.01) and the grades in Microbiology lecture (r=0.644, r2=0.414, p=0.01). Results revealed that the strongest predictors of scores on the case-based portion of the NBDHE were students' scores on the reading portion of the ACT (r=0.673, r2=0.452, p=0.01) and the microbiology lecture grade (r = .637, r2 = .405, p = 0.01).

Traditionally, schools have looked at specific science-based pre-requisite courses as a means of determining admission to schools of dental hygiene. Findings from this study suggest that a broader approach may need to be taken, specifically as it concerns a student's reading aptitude.