Predictors of success in dental hygiene education: a six-year review.

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive reliability of incoming grade point average (GPA), incoming math/science GPA, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores in predicting success in dental hygiene education. Success in dental hygiene education was defined in terms of Dental Hygiene National Board score (N-BRD) and dental hygiene GPA at graduation (DH-GPA). Academic transcripts and admissions documents of 134 students comprising the Medical College of Georgia dental hygiene classes of 1996-2001 were reviewed. Incoming college GPA (1-GPA), incoming college math/science GPA (MS-GPA), total SAT score (T-SAT), verbal SAT score (V-SAT), math SAT score (M-SAT), N-BRD score, and DH-GPA were documented for each student. A forward, step-wise, multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data. I-GPA was the most significant predictor of success. Analysis showed that DH-GPA was best predicted by both the I-GPA (p < or = .001) and T-SAT (p < or = .004). Only the I-GPA (p < or = .001) was significant in predicting N-BRD scores. Data from this study will be used to evaluate the admissions process in dental hygiene at the Medical College of Georgia.