Effectiveness of a Clinical Board Readiness Program in Dental Hygiene Education

Abstract

Purpose A majority of the dental hygiene clinical board examinations are now administered as a simulated patient in combination with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and understanding how to prepare students for successful outcomes is critical. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical board readiness program for two cohorts of dental hygiene students who had different clinical board preparation methodologies.

Methods This retrospective comparative cohort study utilized a convenience sample of dental hygiene student records from the class of 2024 (cohort 1) and the class of 2025 (cohort 2) from a single institution. Cohorts 1 and 2 completed identical mock board examinations during the fourth and fifth semesters. Students in cohort 2 were required to participate in a “clinical board readiness program” before the start of the fourth semester and prior to the mock board examinations while cohort 1 only experienced the mock board examinations. Scores on the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) dental hygiene simulated-patient treatment clinical examination (SPTCE) were compared for the two cohorts. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results Forty-six dental hygiene student records were reviewed and met the inclusion criteria (n=46); cohort 1 (n=21) and cohort 2 (n=25). There were no significant differences in the mean calculus detection and periodontal probing depth scores on the mock board examinations. However, there were significant differences in the mean calculus removal scores between the two cohorts and by semester (p<0.001). However, of the 46 students who passed the SPTCE, nearly all (96%, n=44) passed the exam on the first attempt and no significant differences were identified between the two cohorts (p=1.000).

Conclusion These findings suggest that while targeted preparation programs can strengthen specific skills, their overall influence on clinical board examination success may be limited when students already meet the minimum threshold for passing.