Membership Frequently Asked Questions

In many provinces, CDHA membership is a dual association membership (includes both national and provincial association fees). CDHA fees remain the same across the country; the difference in price comes from varying provincial association fees.

You can renew your membership by signing in to your CDHA profile at www.cdha.ca/renew, by mailing or faxing your application directly to CDHA or by calling CDHA at 1-800-267-5235

For members practising in BC, SK, and NS, please renew via your regulatory body.

You can join CDHA online, by phone, mail or fax in your application to CDHA directly. Join or Renew Your CDHA Membership Today.

For members practising in BC, AB, SK and NS, please join via your regulatory body.

The complimentary Graduated Student membership category is available to current CDHA Student members who have recently passed the National Dental Hygiene Certification Exam (NDHCE) within the current calendar year. If you passed the NDHCB exam in the previous calendar year, you are no longer eligible for the Graduated Student membership so please contact CDHA by email at info@cdha.ca or by phone at 1-800-267-5235 to upgrade your account to Active (Practising).

Go to www.cdha.ca/profile. Your Student membership must be current in order to upgrade to this complimentary membership category. Select the RENEW NOW button and then select Convert to Graduated Student. You will need your NDHCB Candidate ID #, the number used to write your exam and verify your account, to finalize the upgrade process. If you have not renewed your Student membership, you will be prompted to renew it first and will then be able to proceed to upgrade to this membership category using the steps above.

Yes. At CDHA, we have a Retired membership category. Click here for more information.

The membership year runs from November 1 to October 31. If your membership includes professional liability insurance, the policy runs from January 1 to December 31. For Active (Practising) members in British Columbia, the membership period as well as professional liability insurance policy period is March 1 to February 28 and registration is through CDHBC at cdhbc.com. If you pay mid-year, your insurance policy start date will be your purchase date.

You can download your membership card, receipt, and professional liability insurance certificate (if applicable) from your online profile at www.cdha.ca/profile. The system will also automatically generate the corresponding documents and you will receive them via email within 2 business days of joining or renewing your membership.

You should renew your membership by October 31. Renewals can be processed early starting in August. (Excluding BC Active [Practising] registrants.)

BC Active (Practising) registrants: Renew directly with CDHBC by February 28.

If you plan on maintaining an active licence with your regulatory body (CDHO, CDHM etc.), you will be required to provide proof of professional liability insurance regardless of whether you will actually be practising or not. This insurance is included with Active (Practising) CDHA membership. If you do not plan on maintaining an active (practising) licence with your regulatory body, you can either renew as a Support member to maintain your CDHA membership benefits (excluding professional liability insurance) or wait until you go back to work to renew as an Active member. Please contact your provincial regulatory body to see what the requirements are if you decide not to renew a practising licence.

Membership fees are non-refundable, non-transferable, and are not pro-rated.

Your membership documents will be emailed within 2 business days after your payment has been processed. If you do not receive them, please check your spam or junk folder.

BC Active (Practising) registrants: Membership payments are submitted by CDHBC to CDHA on the 15th of each month and are processed within approximately 10-15 business days by CDHA. Your membership documents will be emailed within 2 business days after your payment has been processed against your account.

SK Active (Practising) & Support registrants: Membership payments are submitted by SDHA to CDHA at the beginning of each month and are processed within approximately 10-15 business days by CDHA. Your membership documents will be emailed within 2 business days after your payment has been processed against your account.

NS Active (Practising) & Support registrants: Membership payments are submitted by CDHNS to CDHA on a quarterly basis and are processed within approximately 10-15 business days by CDHA. Your membership documents will be emailed within 2 business days after your payment has been processed against your account.

You can update your address through your online profile. If you prefer, send in your change of address by mail to the CDHA office, or by email to info@cdha.ca. You may also contact us by phone at 1-800-267-5235.

BC registrants: Please update your address with CDHBC.

Please submit your name change documentation by email to info@cdha.ca or by mail (CDHA, 1122 Wellington St W., Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y7)
It is important that you maintain your membership with CDHA with the same name that you maintain your license. 

BC registrants: Please update your name with CDHBC.

If you have been a member in the past, we still have your profile in our system. If your email address or other contact information has changed, please call CDHA at 1-800-267-5235 or email info@cdha.ca to have your account updated.

A membership ID/number is assigned to every member of CDHA. This unique number helps us identify you as a member and quickly locate you in our database.

As an Active (Practising) member of CDHA, you receive basic professional liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 per claim/$5,000,000 per policy period. You have the option to upgrade your insurance coverage at an additional cost.

Our professional liability insurance coverage is designed specifically for dental hygienists. It also includes riders for legal expenses, criminal defence reimbursement, and loss-of-earnings. View full insurance program details.

For an additional cost, you can purchase additional professional liability insurance coverage in the amount of $2,000,000 per claim / $5,000,000 aggregate. View full insurance program details.

This depends on your personal work situation. Some employers, contracts, or certain courses require the additional amount of coverage.

The professional liability insurance coverage included in CDHA's policy only covers members who are practicing on Canadian soil, or when overseas (for a maximum of 90 days) if you are: accompanying patients on trips, attending academic courses or participating in professional exchange programs. Please contact CDHA with your known dates of travel, name of the dental clinic you will be working/volunteering at, as well as the name of the City and Country. The coverage will need to be approved by the insurer. Please allow for 5-7 business days for approval and processing. An additional charge will apply for this supplement coverage.

Insurance can be obtained for other international exposures, however you will need to contact BMS directly for pricing as it varies individually. Please contact BMS via email at cdha.insurance@bmsgroup.com or call 1-855-318-6557.

The professional liability insurance extends to all former insured members; this is referred to as 'tail insurance' or extended reporting period. If you retire and were an Active CDHA member, your insurance coverage is extended to cover you for any acts that may have occurred during a previous time in which you were covered by our professional liability insurance. Similar coverage applies if you have been injured, are ill, or become disabled.

Please refer to the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials’ website for information regarding the registration process for dental hygienists in Canada.

We’ll forward the request for a refund to our finance department after we have processed the payment from your regulatory body (CDHBC, SDHA or CDHNS). The refund will be sent in the form of a cheque to the most current address we have for you on file. It may take up to 45 days after receipt of payment for the cheque to issued. During the membership renewal period, when large transfers are sent to CDHA from your regulatory body, it may take up to 60 days for the refund to be issued.

Should you have any further questions, please contact Brigitte Gauthier, manager of membership services, at 1-800-267-5235 ext. 129.