Program Outcomes

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
• 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 who graduated from the program.

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), 96.38% of graduates passed the exam on the first attempt. Pass rates for the past several years are as follows:

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), 91.62% of graduates passed the exam on the first attempt. Pass rates for the past several years are as follows:

Employment rates

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