What does a dental hygienist do?

Dental hygienists remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene, and provide other preventive dental care. They examine patients' teeth and gums, recording the presence of diseases or abnormalities.

Frequently Asked Exam Questions

How do I interpret my overall score? How many questions did I have to answer correctly in order to pass? What if I did not pass all of the CDA or COA component exams? Will anyone else receive my exam scores? What if my name or address changes after I have applied to take the exam? What is DANB's retest policy? What is DANB's hand scoring policy? Can I get a duplicate score report? Can I get a duplicate certificate? Who can request a verification of Certification or RHS/ICE Certificates of Competency? How can I appeal a DANB decision? How do I interpret my overall score? DANB presents exam results as scaled scores. DANB scaled scores range from a low of 100 to a high of 900, with 400 being required to pass each exam. DANB also provides subtest performance ratings, which provide useful information regarding each candidate's performance in each of the content areas on the exams. Subtest scores are rated as low average, average, or high average. Subtest performance scores are a reflection on how well a candidate did in a particular content area of the exam and cannot be used in any way to determine overall passing status. Knowledge of an area of weakness is a useful tool to help plan for further study. The passing scores are related solely to candidate performance on each exam in its entirety, and not to any combination of subset scores. How many questions did I have to answer correctly in order to pass? Passing requirements are based on content, not percentage correct. The DANB Board of Directors endorses a psychometrically sound standard setting process that requires candidates to answer items correctly at or above certain levels of difficulty across the content areas. The difficulty of each item presented is reviewed and measured by subject matter and testing experts. Candidates who are able to answer a majority of items correctly at this required level are passed. Those who cannot, are failed. What if I did not pass all of the CDA or COA component exams? If a candidate takes the full CDA or COA exam, but does not pass all the component exams (RHS, ICE, GC for the CDA or ICE and OA for the COA), the candidate need only reapply and pay exam fees to take the component(s) that were not passed in order to earn CDA or COA certification. All the necessary component exams must be passed within five years for a candidate to become certified. Certificates of Competency will be issued if the candidate passes the RHS and/or the ICE component exam(s). (Please note: Certificates of Competency are not Certifications in RHS or ICE.) Will anyone else receive my exam scores? Exam scores will not be released to employers or any individuals other than the candidate. Because the RHS, ICE, CDA and COA exams may be required to meet state regulations, passing or failing status on these exams is a matter of public record and so will be released to anyone on request. DANB releases a candidate's exam score and verifies RHS, ICE, GC, OA and/or CDA and COA passing status to state regulatory agencies in compliance with a state requirement. DANB also releases aggregate (grouped) exam results to Program Directors for candidates who are graduates from or students in the Program Director's dental assisting program. Duplicate score reports and RHS, ICE, GC, OA and DANB Certification pass/fail verification are available from DANB in the form of a written verification letter. What if my name or address changes after I have applied to take the exam? It is the candidate's responsibility to notify DANB of name and/or address changes or any spelling errors in the candidate's name. Contact DANB by phone at 1-800-FOR-DANB, by email at danbmail@danb.org, or by fax or mail. DANB charges a $25 fee for reprinting a certificate for a name change or name spelling change once the original certificate has been printed. What is DANB's retest policy? DANB's Retest Policy allows a candidate who failed an exam to reapply by completing a new application form and resubmitting the fee and documentation (if required). State laws may require additional schooling after failed attempts. Check with your State Board of Dentistry. What is DANB's hand scoring policy? Hand scoring of an exam is available on request. A candidate must submit a Request for Hand Scoring of Exam Results form along with a $25 hand scoring fee so that it is received by DANB (via mail or fax) within 30 days after the official score date printed on the score report or certificate received. Hand scoring of the exam is typically completed within 30 days of receipt of a request. If the pass/fail status is reversed as a result of the hand scoring, the $25 fee will be refunded to the candidate. Requests for hand scoring of an exam will not be honored after 30 days from the official score date. Can I get a duplicate score report? Duplicate Score Reports are available for exams taken within the last 5 years from the date of the request. An individual must submit a Request for a Duplicate Score Report form, along with the $25 fee for each score report. Exam score reports older than five years are not available, though DANB will verify Certifications or Certificates of Competency earned more than 5 years ago. Note: Score reports will not be released to employers or any other individuals, except on written request of the candidate, unless required by state regulatory agencies. Verification of a DANB Certification and/or RHS and ICE passing status is available from DANB. For more information, see below. Can I get a duplicate certificate? Duplicate Certificates are available for $25. An individual who has taken the complete DANB CDA or COA Certification exam may purchase individual RHS and/or ICE certificates, if they passed these component exams, or duplicate CDA/COA certificates for $25 each. Due to the addition of the ICE component of the CDA and COA exams, for candidates who have allowed their certification to lapse, duplicate certificates may only be requested if the certification was earned on 6/1/93 or later for the CDA or 6/1/94 or later for the COA. A Request for a Duplicate Certificate form along with the $25 fee must be submitted to DANB. Because DANB provides several opportunities for candidates to correct errors, including the Test Admission Notice, this $25 duplicate certificate fee also applies for any reprint of a certificate due to a spelling error. Who can request a verification of Certification or RHS/ICE Certificates of Competency? DANB will verify Certification or RHS/ICE Certificates of Competency exam pass/fail status and the effective date(s) by mail or phone to anyone on request, since this information is a matter of public record and may be disclosed. Only a candidate or employer may request written verification by mail or fax by submitting a Request for Credential Verification form along with a $10 verification fee to DANB. The $10 fee covers one letter which can be used to verify multiple certificate(s), credential(s) and/or passing of an exam(s). An official verification letter is not a duplicate certificate. How can I appeal a DANB decision? If a candidate wishes to appeal a DANB decision relative to eligibility, administrative or exam content issues, he or she may submit a Request for Reconsideration Under DANB's Review and Appeal Process form or a letter requesting reconsideration of the decision, along with a $25 appeal fee to DANB's Executive Director within 30 days of the date on the DANB correspondence that prompts the candidate to appeal (i.e., date on the letter indicating the candidate's application was incomplete, date on candidate score report letter. The policy governing the review and appeal process is available by contacting DANB's Coordinator, Executive Liaisons at 1-800-FOR-DANB, ext 462. DANB's Review and Appeal Policy and Procedures are available on the Appeal's Policy page.