Accreditation Standards in Dental Hygiene Education: Global Comparison and Implications

Background: Accreditation plays a vital role in ensuring the quality of dental hygiene education and the professional accountability of dental hygienists. Countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia have established national-level systems, whereas South Korea’s accreditation framework is still in the early stages of institutionalization. This study aimed to compare the dental hygiene education accreditation systems across five countries and draw policy implications for the development of South Korea’s system. Methods: A qualitative comparative analysis was conducted based on official guidelines, reports, and peer-reviewed literature. The analysis focused on five core domains, namely the mission of the accreditation body, classification of accreditation status and validity period, composition of evaluation panels, content of and emphasis on accreditation criteria, and post-accreditation monitoring systems. A comparative analytical framework was developed using internationally recognized standards, including those from the American Dental Education Association and World Health Organization. Results: All five countries shared common goals of promoting educational quality and patient safety. The United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia emphasized cultural competence, social accountability, and outcome-based evaluations in their accreditation criteria. These countries also included broader stakeholder representation in their evaluation panels and adopted flexible risk-based monitoring systems. In contrast, South Korea’s system primarily focused on structural metrics, such as faculty ratios and facility adequacy, with limited integration of learning outcomes or public engagement. The post-evaluation feedback and improvement mechanisms in South Korea remain underdeveloped. Conclusion: To enhance its accreditation system, South Korea should adopt more outcome-oriented criteria, diversify the composition of evaluators, and implement risk-based post-accreditation monitoring. These efforts will strengthen the effectiveness of the system, align it with international standards, and ultimately contribute to improving public oral health and professional competence of dental hygienists.