Journal of Korean Society of Dental Hygiene (J Korean Soc Dent Hyg)
Original Article

Analysis of dental hygienist national exam results from 2015 to 2023

1Department of Dental Hygiene, Dongnam Health University
2Department of Dental Hygiene, Jeonju Vision University

Correspondence to Young-Im Kim, 235 Cheonjam-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, 55069, Korea. Tel: +82-63-220-4103, Fax: +8263-220-4109, E-mail: kyi1327@naver.com

Volume 25, Number 5, Pages 437-44, October 2025.
J Korean Soc Dent Hyg 2025;25(5):437-44. https://doi.org/10.13065/jksdh.2025.25.5.9
Received on August 01, 2025, Revised on August 24, 2025, Accepted on September 04, 2025, Published on October 30, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Journal of Korean Society of Dental Hygiene.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).

Abstract

Objectives: This study analyzed national licensing examination trends for dental hygienists from 2015 to 2023 to identify structural features and score differences based on examinee characteristics. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 50,721 examinees provided by the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-test, and Pearson’s correlation to examine the differences in scores by age, sex, graduation status, and region. Results: The mean total score was 209.31. Dental Hygiene II yielded the highest correlation with the total score (r=0.901), whereas the practical examdemonstrated relatively low correlations with the theoretical subjects, suggesting structural independence. The exam demonstrated stable psychometric properties in terms of difficulty (67.3–76.5), discriminability (0.23–0.30), and high reliability (α=0.926–0.952). Examinees in 2023, females, those in their twenties, expected graduates, and students from metropolitan areas scored (p<0.001). Conclusions: The licensing exam maintained structural stability and high reliability. However, improvements in the validity, standardization, and alignment of the practical components with the curriculum are required to enhance fairness and educational efficacy.

Keywords

Dental hygienists, National licensing exam, Score analysis

Section