Registered dental hygienists are licensed oral-health professionals with an independent scope of practice: oral health assessment, scaling and root planing, periodontal care, preventive agents, radiographs, and patient education. Becoming one is a college-program-plus-national-exam-plus-provincial-licensing path, and dental hygiene is regulated in every province and territory. Here is how to get there.
Understand the classification
Job Bank classifies dental hygienists under NOC 32111, Dental hygienists and dental therapists, a regulated health profession. It is a separate and more highly credentialed profession than the dental assistant (NOC 33100): the hygienist is a licensed professional with an independent clinical scope, not a chairside assisting role.
Complete an accredited program
- Enrol in a two-to-three-year accredited college dental hygiene program
- Learn oral health assessment, periodontal instrumentation, scaling and root planing, radiography, pharmacology, and dental hygiene theory and practice
- Complete the supervised clinical training the program requires
Pass the national exam and license provincially
Dental hygiene is a regulated health profession in every province and territory. This is the strongest credentialing anchor in the dental field.
- Pass the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE)
- Register and license with your provincial or territorial regulatory college. This is mandatory in every province to practise and to use the registered dental hygienist (RDH) title (for example, the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, CDHO)
- On licensing you hold the protected RDH credential and can practise the full independent scope
This is a college-program-plus-national-exam-plus-provincial-licensing profession, not an apprenticeship and not a trade. Mandatory provincial licensing everywhere is what distinguishes the registered dental hygienist, and it clearly separates the role from the dental assistant.
Keep your licence current
- Maintain the continuing-competency and good-standing requirements your provincial college sets
- Professional liability insurance, and first aid and CPR, are commonly required
Land your first role
Apply to dental practices, independent dental hygiene clinics, and periodontal and specialty offices, and be clear about your accredited program, your NDHCE result, and your provincial licence. Set up a job alert on a board built for the licensed profession so new openings reach you before they fill, because practices and clinics face a documented shortage and strong relief demand.
Sources: Job Bank Canada (NOC 32111), the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA), the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board (NDHCB), and provincial dental hygiene colleges.
Find your next role
New jobs are posted regularly. Set up a job alert and they reach you first.