Upon completion of the Dental Hygiene program, graduates will be able to do the following:

• Practice ethically and professionally dental hygiene services that are legally delegated in the state of North Carolina, including possessing such employability skills as teamwork, communications, integrity and professionalism, problem-solving and decision making, initiative and dependability, information processing, adaptability and lifelong learning, and entrepreneurship
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate comprehensive dental hygiene care for individuals at a variety of levels of periodontal health
• Initiate and assume responsibility for health promotion and disease prevention activities for diverse community-based populations through assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation

Program completion rates

Program completion rates are affected by attrition (students who voluntarily withdraw) and dismissal (students unsuccessful in courses). Students may re-enter and restart the program one time in each category. The following are completion rates for the past several years, calculated as the percentage of those accepted into the program that graduated from the program.

• Class entered August 2017/graduated on time May 2019: 58.33%
  • Graduated with more time (re-entry/re-start):  75%

• Class entered August 2018/graduated on time May 2020: 58.33%
  • Graduated with more time (re-entry/re-start): 62.5%

• Class entered August 2019/graduated on time May 2021: 54.17%
  • Graduated with more time (re-entry/re-start): 66.67%

• Class entered August 2020/graduated on time May 2022: 91.67% 
  • Graduated with more time (re-entry/re-start): 91.67%

National Board pass rates

Students graduating from the Dental Hygiene program may be eligible to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination. In the program history (2004-current), 96.37% of graduates passed the exam on the first attempt. Pass rates for the past several years are as follows:

• 2019 graduates: 94% passed first attempt; 100% passed by second attempt
• 2020 graduates: 83% passed first attempt; 89% passed by second attempt; 94% passed by third attempt; 100% passed by fourth attempt
• 2021 graduates: 100% passed first attempt
• 2022 graduates: 93% passed first attempt; 100% passed by second attempt

Clinical Board pass rates

Students graduating from the Dental Hygiene program may be eligible to sit for the clinical exam as well. The exam has been overseen by the North Carolina State Dental Board, then the Council of Interstate Testing Agencies and now CDCA/WREB/CITA. In the program history (2004-current), 91.11% of graduates passed the exam on the first attempt. Pass rates for the past several years are as follows:

• 2019 graduates: 82% passed first attempt; 100% passed by second attempt
• 2020 graduates: 100% passed first attempt
• 2021 graduates: 100% passed first attempt
• 2022 graduates: 86% passed first attempt; 100% passed by second attempt

Employment rates

In the history of the program, 100% of graduates have located employment, either part-time or full-time, depending on their needs.