Exploring preadmission criteria as predictors for dental hygiene licensure examinations pass rates.

PURPOSE Research specific to dental hygiene can provide programs guidance to implement the best admissions practices. This study sought to first identify all admissions variables currently being utilized by dental hygiene programs. Secondly, this study looked for associations between these variables and program pass rates on national and regional clinical board examinations. METHODS An online survey was sent by email to 309 dental hygiene chairs/program directors. The survey was comprised of 18 questions to collect program demographic information, program admissions requirements, and program pass rates on both the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) and regional clinical board examinations. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-nine respondents participated in the survey for a response rate of 45%. Twenty-nine admissions variables were found and correlated to program clinic pass rates (n=131) and program NBDHE pass rates (n=133). The 2 admissions variables most often used by dental hygiene programs are overall college grade point average (GPA) at 67.6% and college science GPA at 61.2%. Multiple regression analysis detected no statistically significant variables as positive indicators for licensure examination pass rates. CONCLUSION Currently there are no defined variables associated with clinical and national licensure pass rates. Further research is needed to identify variables that are associated with clinical and national licensure pass rates.