UC Blue Ash Professor Earns Prestigious Appointment to National Board

A UC Blue Ash College professor will help lead the national board that develops questions for the licensing examinations that all dental hygiene students must pass before they can practice professionally.

Dr. Cyndee Stegeman, chair of the Dental Hygiene department at UC Blue Ash, was recently appointed to serve on the National Board Dental Hygiene Component B – Radiology Test Construction Committee. The eight committee members will create case study patient scenarios and accompanying questions for the national licensing exam that meet the guidelines and specifications established by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. Stegeman will lead the work on questions related to the processing and interpretation of dental x-rays.

She was selected based on her extensive experience working, teaching and conducting research in the field of dental radiography. “I am humbled to be recognized with this prestigious national appointment; it is a serious responsibility,” said Stegeman. “My goal is to recommend relevant and practical questions that truly measure the learning of emerging dental hygienists.”

The committee will meet three times a year at the American Dental Association headquarters in Chicago. Along with developing new questions for the licensing exam, they will suggest modifications to ensure the content continues to reflect current teaching practices and they are responsible for safeguarding the security and confidentiality of the national board exams. Approximately 8,200 dental hygiene students take the licensing exam each year.

Dental hygienists provide preventative dental care and are licensed to clean teeth, take x-rays, administer local anesthesia as needed, provide preventive services, and examine patients for signs of oral diseases, such as gingivitis. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health.  According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 200,000 dental hygienists nationwide. The bureau also notes that employment in the field is expected to grow 33 percent by 2022.

To learn more about the dental hygiene program at UC Blue Ash College, go to

www.ucblueash.edu/dentalhygiene

or call (513) 745-5635.

UC Blue Ash College is a regional college within the University of Cincinnati. It offers one of the best values in higher education with access to a nationally recognized UC education in nearly 50 degrees and certificates, as well as tuition that is about half of most colleges and universities. The college is located on a scenic 135-acre wooded campus in the heart of Blue Ash, Ohio. To learn more, call (513) 745-5600, visit us online at www.ucblueash.edu, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.