The Dental Hygiene examination administered by the Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc., (SRTA) evaluates clinical judgment and performance. The examinations were developed to provide a reliable clinical assessment for use by state boards in making valid licensing decisions. The examination in dental hygiene consists of patient selection, evaluation of radiographs, a clinical partial oral prophylaxis and periodontal assessment. A passing grade is 75%. Failure will require re-examination.

The Veterans Administration has approved the cost of the Dental Hygiene examination for reimbursement. Contact your regional Veterans Affairs/Veterans Education Office to obtain the proper forms.

The SRTA examinations have been developed, and are administered and reviewed in accordance with guidelines from the American Dental Association, the American Association of Dental Examiners, the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education. The examinations were developed to provide a reliable clinical assessment for use by state boards in making valid licensing decisions.

The SRTA examinations are conducted anonymously. All examination materials are identified by the candidate's SRTA number (assigned prior to the examination.) The candidates name and school information should not appear on any material. The examiners at all sites are experienced practitioners with diverse backgrounds. The examiners are trained and standardized prior to each examination and are evaluated to assure grading to established criteria.

All questions concerning examination procedures, content, applications and examination dates to the Southern Regional Testing Agency. If you prefer to email your questions, use hygieneinfo@srta.org for questions relating to the Dental Hygiene examination and generalinfo@srta.org for general questions. Be sure to include your contact information. Once an application has been processed for a particular site, all questions for both pre-examination and post-examination must be initiated by the candidate only. Due to confidentiality, we will not discuss candidate concerns and questions with a spouse, parent, family member or friend.

The candidate must procure his/her own patient and is responsible for their arrival and return. SRTA is not responsible for procuring patients used in examinations. Candidates must advise their patients of the time required to participate in this examination. Evaluation of a patient can take up to an hour. Patient selection and management is a scored part of the examination and should be completed independently. It is at the candidate's discretion whether to seek the assistance of faculty, colleagues, etc., however, this does not guarantee acceptance of the selected teeth. Candidates are strongly advised to secure a backup patient. If the candidate presents a selection of teeth that does not meet criteria, the patient will be dismissed. To continue the examination the candidate must submit a selection of teeth that meets criteria. Candidates unable to secure a primary or backup patient will not be eligible for a refund or credit toward a future examination attempt. Appeals based on issues such as patients handling the paperwork or inability to secure a patient will not be considered.

Patients must be at least 14 years of age. A parent or legal guardian must be available in the waiting area during treatment and must provide written consent for minors under the age of 18. NO patient may be a dentist, dental hygienist, junior/senior dental student or dental hygiene student. A dental assistant whether a student or a practicing assistant may be used as a patient. No one with a latex allergy may be a patient. Women who are pregnant and in their first or third trimester are not acceptable as patients. Each patient to be treated will be required to sign a “Patient Disclaimer, Consent and Release Form” and both the candidate and patient must complete a “Post Operative Care Agreement” form before any clinical procedure may commence. The top two copies of this form, SRTA (white) and Examination Site (green) will be submitted during registration. The patient must receive their (yellow) copy of this form.

The instruments required for the examiner to approve and conduct the final evaluation of the teeth selected are:

1. Probe with only markings of 1-2-3-5-7-8-9-10 mm. The probe may be single ended or double ended. However, if providing a double ended probe, the unused end must be covered using autoclave tape. Candidates may use the brand or manufacturer of their choice and it may or may not be color-coded.
2. ODU or EXD 11/12 explorer for calculus detection at approval and final evaluation of calculus removal.
3. A reflective front surface mouth mirror. May be one or two sided.
4. All other instruments are the choice of the candidate.
5. Candidates must provide or have access to a blood pressure measuring device.
6. Syringes & supplies for anesthetic administration, if needed. The school will supply anesthetic cartridges for candidates. These will also be the choice of the candidate.

Application fees are not refundable and may not be applied to a future examination. Failure to appear for a scheduled examination will result in the loss of the candidate’s fee unless the Agency has received written notification fifteen days prior to the application deadline - in such cases a 50% refund will be given. Refunds will not be given for a patient’s failure to appear, non-acceptability of a patient, or a candidate’s inability to secure patients for the examination. Patient approval is considered part of the examination.