About Us

As a brand new program director in a brand new Dental Hygiene program in Georgia, I was concerned about my first class of students’ preparation for the National Board.  Had we given them the information necessary to pass the Board?  Would they be able to pass the Board?   I noticed in a DH journal that there was a Board Review in Maryland prior to the exam and felt this would be a good opportunity for my faculty (and students!) to determine if we had prepared them adequately for the National Board. 

I gave my students the option of attending the seminar and twelve out of fourteen decided that it would be worth the expense and time to attend the review course.  After flying to Maryland and completing the three-day review, we all decided that we had, in fact, given our students all of the information they needed to take the exam.  And when the Big Day came – they all took the National Board and PASSED!! 

I felt that the Maryland Board Review was worth the time and expense to attend, but realized that travel would be a financial concern for many students.  I had worked as a clinical hygienist for Emory School of Dentistry prior to becoming the program director at Lanier Tech and realized that I had enough contacts through the dental school to conduct a review course in our area.

So… after finding qualified presenters to participate in the review…  We sent flyers to the local DH programs in Georgia informing them of our FIRST National Board Review in Atlanta.  We received over 100 registrations for the seminar but the meeting room could only host 90 people!  The hotel management told us not to worry because, based on their experience, many people who register for meetings, don’t actually attend them.  This seminar was the exception!  Not only did we have all of our registrants attending the meeting, we had an additional number that showed up “at the door”.  We made it work and the review course was a success!  And after that we received requests from Dental Hygiene Programs across the United States to offer seminars in their areas. 

Thus, Dental Hygiene Seminars was born!  After 31 years, DHS is still going strong, having presented seminars to over 20,000 dental hygiene students in over 15 states. I am proud to be a part of the many success stories of hygiene students who have attended DHS review courses and moved on to exciting and rewarding careers. My mission to bring Dental Hygiene Board Review to a city near you still holds true. 

Heather Mapp
President DHS Seminars
R.D.H. M.Ed.