The effects of a continuing education course on dental hygiene practice.

Thirty-three dental hygienists were evaluated to measure the immediate and long-term effects of a continuing education course on their knowledge, attitudes, and clinical skills. The group demonstrated a significant gain in knowledge at the conclusion of the course. A postcourse evaluation was conducted after six months to determine students' ability to apply clinically the knowledge gained. the evaluation revealed no favorable change from the precourse state. Students rated themselves as having significantly improved in their ability to perform root planing, soft tissue curettage, and probing procedures from precourse to six months postcourse. No relationship was found between knowledge gained and students' evaluation of the effectiveness of the course.