The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study was to understand if select student characteristics (student status, age, gender, Pell status) predicted student success. In this study, student success is defined as acceptance into a dental hygiene program and completion of a dental hygiene program for Black students at a community college. The study also examined the dental hygiene admission criteria process for six community college programs to identify systemic barriers to admissions for Black students. An ex-post facto quantitative study was used to identify differences and make comparisons about the independent and dependent variables. The research questions analyzed data over three distinct college experiences: pre-college experience, during the college experience, and completion of the dental hygiene program. The findings of the study support the need for additional support for Black dental hygiene students beyond the entry level coursework for program acceptance. The research revealed a significant difference between the GPAs when it came to age as older Black students tend to come into the program with higher GPA than younger Black dental hygiene students. Although there was not a statistically significant relationship found of age, gender, and student status with acceptance into a dental hygiene program, a relatively weak inverse relationship existed between Pell status and acceptance into a dental hygiene program. The findings suggested that 89% of students with Pell status were less likely to get accepted into a dental hygiene program than 25% of students with non-Pell status. Results from the document analysis identified alternative assessments, interview criteria, and prerequisite requirements as systemic barriers for Black dental hygiene students. Equity gaps in Black representation within the field of dental hygiene continue to contribute to oral health disparities in Black communities. This study added to the current body of work on the inequities that exist in the representation of Blacks in the field of dental hygiene and to the previous body of work by considering the impact specific demographic characteristics have on student success for Black dental hygiene students. Additional research and attention to this matter will improve the oral health needs of underrepresented populations in Black communities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]