- 2007 Examination Calendar
- Application and Eligibility Requirements
- Examination Content and Scoring
- Application Materials
CRDTS 2007 Dental Hygiene Examination Calendar
Calibration Date Exam Date Exam Site City State Deadline Date Sun Apr 1 April 2-3 Argosy University Eagan MN 2/26/2007 Fri Apr 13 April 14-15 MCG - Med Col of Georgia Augusta GA 3/12/2007 Fri Apr 13 April 14-15 UN Minnesota Minneapolis MN 3/12/2007 Fri Apr 20 April 21-22 MUSC Charleston SC 3/19/2007 Fri Apr 20 April 21-22 Clayton State University Morrow GA 3/19/2007 Thur Apr 26 April 27 UN Nebraska MC Lincoln NE 3/26/2007 April 28 Creighton University Omaha NE 3/26/2007 Fri Apr 27 April 28-29 Madison Area Tech Madison WI 3/26/2007 Fri Apr 27 April 28-29 Hawaii - Pearl Harbor Oahu HI 3/26/2007 Fri Apr 27 April 28-29 Kennedy-King/UIC Chicago IL 3/26/2007 Sun Apr 29 April 30-May 1 UMKC Kansas City MO 3/26/2007 Fri May 4 May 5-6 CO Northwestern CC Rangely CO 4/2/2007 Fri May 4 May 5-6 Wichita State UN Wichita KS 4/2/2007 Sun May 6 May 7-8 Parkland College Champaign IL 4/2/2007 Sun May 6 May 7 MN State CC Moorhead MN 4/2/2007 May 8-9 North Dakota State Wahpeton ND 4/3/2007 Fri May 11 May 12-13 St Louis CC St Louis MO 4/9/2007 Fri May 11 May 12-14 Armstrong Atlantic Savannah GA 4/9/2007 Sun May 13 May 14-15 UN Iowa Iowa City IA 4/9/2007 Sun May 13 May 14-15 UN South Dakota Vermillion SD 4/9/2007 Sun May 13 May 14-15 Sheridan College Sheridan WY 4/9/2007 Sun May 13 May 14-15 NC Tech College Wausau WI 4/9/2007 Thu May 17 May 18-20 GA Perimeter College Dunwoody GA 4/16/2007 Fri May 18 May 19-20 NE Wisc Tech Green Bay WI 4/16/2007 Sun May 20 May 21-22 UN Colorado Aurora CO 4/16/2007 Fri June 1 June 2-3 Milwaukee Area Tech Milwaukee WI 4/27/2007 Fri July13 July 14-15 UMKC Kansas City MO 6/11/2007 Fri July 20 July 21-22 MCG - Med Col of Georgia Augusta GA 6/18/2007 Sun Aug 5 Aug 6-7 NC Tech College Wausau WI 7/2/2007 Sun Dec 9 Dec 10-11 UN Nebraska MC Lincoln NE 11/5/2007 Fri Dec 14 Dec 15-16 Milwaukee Area Tech Milwaukee WI 11/12/2007 Fri Dec 14 Dec 15-16 Lewis & Clark CC Godfrey IL 11/12/2007 Fri Dec 14 Dec 15-16 Herzing College Crystal MN 11/12/2007
The Application Deadline is the deadline date Central Office has to receive your application form and examination fee. Exams are on a first-come first-served basis. Please refer to your candidate manual. There are no exceptions to the deadline date. Be sure you have your Applicant Certification Sheet notarized.
Application and Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility: All graduates of dental hygiene schools which are accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Accreditation are eligible to take the examination. Also eligible are those candidates from accredited schools who have been certified by their Dean or Program Director as being ready for graduation within 60 days of the date of the examination for which application is being made.Foreign graduates: applying for examination must be authorized to take the examination by at least one state which accepts the results of the CRDTS examination. The results of examination for graduates of foreign dental hygiene colleges are received and recognized only by states which allow licensure of such foreign graduates. Therefore, foreign graduates will only be examined by CRDTS when they can show that such results will be received and recognized by one of the states which participates in the CRDTS examination.
You may apply to take the Central Regional Dental Testing Service, Inc. examination by submitting an application online Applications can be obtained in the mail by request, or on the CRDTS web site. If submitting the application on paper, please print clearly and use blue or black ink.
Read the entire application form before recording any information. Be accurate and complete. If you do not follow directions, your application may be returned to you.
1. Examination Fee: The examination fee of $825 must be paid at the time of application. Applications must include a cashier's check, or money order. No personal checks are accepted for payment.
2. Registration Deadline: The registration deadline is 35 days before the date of the examination. This is the date by which CRDTS must have received the application and examination fee; it is not a post-marked date. There are no exceptions to this requirement. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis for candidates who are not students at the testing site.
3. Refund Policy: Refunds will be made minus a $100 processing fee if notification of cancellation is received in the CRDTS Central Office 30 days prior to the first day of the examination. A 50% refund will be made if notification is made at least 6 business days prior to examination. After that time, any cancellations will result in forfeiture of the entire examination fee. In addition, failure to appear for the exam will result in a forfeiture of the entire examination fee. This policy applies to all cancellations, regardless of reason.
4. Choice of Testing Site: Because schools that serve as testing sites make their clinics available to CRDTS, regional schools submit their students applications in bulk and testing sites have the right to reserve the number of operatories that will be needed to accommodate their graduates who are taking the CRDTS exam. Candidates from outside the school are confirmed to the exam sites on a first come, first served basis according to the date of receipt in CRDTS’ office. Therefore, not all candidates will be able to be tested at their first choice of testing sites. All candidates must submit three alternative testing sites where they would be able to take the examination.
5. Proof of Graduation: Candidates must furnish proof of graduation from an accredited Dental Hygiene School. If candidates have graduated previous to the present year of testing, they must furnish a certified copy of their diploma or provide a letter on official letterhead from their school of graduation and signed by the Dean/Program Director of the school verifying their name and date of graduation. If candidates have not already graduated and are taking the examination for the first time, they must present a Letter of Certification (a form provided by CRDTS). The Letter of Certification must be completed by the Dean/Program Director of the school to verify that the candidate has achieved a sufficient level of competency to take the examination, that all requirements for graduation WILL BE MET within 60 days of the examination, and that the candidate will be recommended for graduation. Alterations to this letter may result in elimination of the candidate’s application.
6. Signature of Candidate and Notary: When candidates apply online, they will have the opportunity to download and print an Applicant Certification Sheet. The Applicant Certification Sheet must be signed by the candidate and dated; a Notary Public must sign, stamp, and date the form. Applicant Certification Sheets which are not signed or notarized will be returned to the candidate. This form must be mailed and must be received by CRDTS by the application deadline.
7 . Social Security Number: The social security number must be recorded accurately and legibly on the application form. Applications which do not include the social security number will be returned as incomplete. Once the candidate’s application is complete, the social security number will be encoded for security purposes, and a new 9-digit number will be generated that will appear on all the candidate’s examination forms. When the candidate’s examination results are processed, the 9-digit computer number will connect the results back to the candidate’s permanent record
8 . Liability Insurance Coverage: Liability insurance is furnished for all candidates participating in the Central Regional Dental Testing Service examinations by CNA through the Professional Protector Plan administered by Brown and Brown, Inc., Tampa, Florida. If candidates prefer not to have their name released to Brown and Brown, Inc., they must notify CRDTS and furnish a copy of their own coverage information.
9 . Confirmation of Training to Administer Local Anesthetics: Dental hygiene candidates who will qualify for a permit to administer local anesthesia upon licensure in a CRDTS’ member state must submit a “Confirmation of Training” form that is included in the application materials. This form provides verification that the candidate will have completed the appropriate coursework at the time of the examination. This form must be completed and submitted to CRDTS’ Central Office at the time of application; it CANNOT be submitted and processed at the examination site.
Those candidates who are or will be qualified to administer local anesthesia upon licensure in a CRDTS’ member state will be required to administer the initial injection of local anesthetic if they wish for their patient to be anesthetized. Assistance from qualified practitioners will be available if the candidate’s initial attempts to administer local anesthetics are not successful. Proper authorization by a dentist must precede the administration of a local anesthetic.
For those candidates who will NOT be qualified to administer local anesthetics upon licensure, a qualified practitioner may be present at the examination or the candidate may request a qualified practitioner accompany them to administer local anesthetics upon the candidate’s request.
10. Non-Accredited Graduates: Candidates who graduated from a dental hygiene school outside of the United States and Canada must furnish a letter from the State Dental Board of a state that accepts the results of the CRDTS examination indicating that they are eligible for licensure in that state upon successful completion of the CRDTS examination. In addition, a copy of the candidate’s dental hygiene diploma with an English Translation must be provided.
11. All Candidates Applying for Re-Examination: Photos from previous examination cannot be re-used and therefore new photos are required. If the candidate submitted a Letter of Certification with their most recent examination application, they will have to submit an official or certified copy of their diploma before being allowed to take the examination. If candidates have not received their diplomas, they must include a letter from the school, on official letterhead and signed by the Dean/Program Director, which includes the candidate’s name and date of graduation;or documentation that all school requirements have been completed and the candidate has been graduated or recommended for graduation. Candidates for re-examination must apply to retake the entire examination at the regular examination fee.
12. Proof of Remediation: It is the responsibility of each state or licensing jurisdiction to enforce its own remediation policy. There is no state that requires remediation after only one failure; some states may require remediation after two failures. Any candidate applying for re-examination should check with the appropriate State Board regarding its remediation and reexamination requirements. After three or more failures, CRDTS DOES require that the candidate submit documentation from a State which accepts the results of the CRDTS examination verifying that the candidate has completed the remediation requirements for that state, and further that the state will accept the results of the candidate’s re-examination with CRDTS.
Examination Content and Scoring
DENTAL HYGIENE EXAMINATION OVERVIEW
PART I- COMPUTER EXAM - 100 POINTS
- 1 points awarded for each correct answer
PART II: PATIENT ASSESSMENT, SCALING, PLAQUE/STAIN REMOVAL- 14 POINTS 1. Oral Evaluation - 14 Points
- 7 scorable items
- 2 points are awarded for each Intra/Extra-Oral structure that is evaluated and described correctly
2.. Periodontal Probing - 12 Points
- 12 measurements evaluated on two teeth
- 1 point for each correctly measured pocket depth
3. Scaling Treatment Selection
- Penalty points are assessed for treatment selection that do not meet the described criteria
- 7 penalty points for 1st rejection
- 7 penalty points for 2nd rejection
- No additional penalty points deducted for subsequent rejections but an acceptable treatment selection must be submitted
- within the allotted time limits.
Scaling - 56 Points
- 14 scorable items
- 4 points are awarded for each of the 14 required surfaces that are acceptably debrided for each of subgingival calculus
Plaque/Stain Removal - 6 Points
- 6 scoreable items
- 1 point is awarded for the first six teeth in the treatment selection that are free of plaque/stain.
Tissue Management - 12 Points
- 6 scorable items on tissue surrounding 6 teeth
- 2 points for each area of tissue free of damage
- Critical Errors: Damage to 4 or more areas of gingival tissue within or near the treatment selection or any instance of severe damage
to the lips or mucosa will be considered a critical error and result in failure of Part II of the Dental Hygiene ExaminationTREATMENT STANDARDS - Penalty points are assessed for any violation of standards as defined for:
- Infection Control
- Record Keeping
- Patient Management
- Professional Demeanor
The hygiene examination consists of two separate conjunctive sections that constitute Part I and Part II. There is one
comprehensive total score, based on 100 points, reported for each Part of the Dental Hygiene Examination.Within 3 or 4 weeks of the examination, scores are reported to candidates and all member State Boards of CRDTS.
CRDTS does not determine whether or not a candidate has passed the examination, and issues no certificates to successful candidates. The pass/fail decision is made by each member state, based on the examination score reported by CRDTS for
for the Dental Hygiene Examination. None of the member states will accept a total score of less than 75 for a candidate
to be eligible for licensure, and some of the states may require a score of more than 75. The candidate should check
the requirements of each state in which licensure is sought.CRDTS utilizes a criterion-based grading system to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable performance.
Criteria have been established for each clinical procedure. Three examiners independently evaluate all treatment and apply the criteria in assessing performance. Points are awarded for each scorable item that fulfills the criteria as independently identified by 2
or more examiners.
Application Packet (Adobe Acrobat Format)
Please Note: You will need to download both the Application Forms and the Candidate's Manual. The Application Packet and Candidate's Manual both require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it free from Adobe by clicking on the button below.
