Date of Award

Spring 2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Dental Hygiene

Program/Concentration

Dental Hygiene

Committee Director

Evelyn M. Thomson

Committee Member

Deborah Bauman

Committee Member

Deanne Shuman

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.D46 A49 2005

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure the utility of a variety of predictors that have been used by the Old Dominion University, Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene and other baccalaureate dental hygiene programs in selecting dental hygiene students who are most likely to graduate and be successful in passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). Specifically this study attempted to determine whether or not the following factors are reliable predictors of success in a an entry-level baccalaureate dental hygiene program as evidenced by graduation and successful entry into the profession as evidenced by passing the NBDHE: incoming grade point average (I-GPA); grade point average in prerequisite science courses (S-GPA); Admissions Points Index rating (API); final grade in prerequisite science courses: chemistry I and II, human anatomy and physiology I and II, and microbiology; final grades in first year dental hygiene courses: oral anatomy and histology and oral pathology; multiple attempts to achieve a passing final grade in prerequisite science courses; and the academic setting where these prerequisite science courses were completed.

The sample selected for study consisted of the academic records of dental hygiene students who were admitted to the Old Dominion University, Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene for the academic years 1998 to 2002 (N=235), who would have been eligible to take the NBDHE during the years 2000 to 2004. Data were obtained from admissions documents and department records.

Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression with a pre-determined level of significance (p = 0.05) to determine whether or not these variables predict success in an entry-level baccalaureate dental hygiene program as measured by graduation from a dental hygiene program. Data analysis revealed that final course grade in oral pathology is a significant predictor of success (p = 0.0008).

When the NBDHE is a criterion variable, data were analyzed using the multiple linear regression model with a pre-determined level of significance (p = 0.05) to determine whether or not these variables predict success in an entry-level baccalaureate dental hygiene program as measured by the NBDHE score. Data analysis revealed that final course grade in oral pathology; final course grade in oral anatomy and histology; and the Admission Point Index rating (API) are predictors of success on the NBD HE (p < .0001, p < .0001, and p = 0.0245 respectively).

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DOI

10.25777/he9d-ae42

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