Regulatory Process
Regulatory Process in Canada
In order to practise in Canada, dental hygienists must be registered with the appropriate provincial
or
territorial
dental hygiene regulatory authority. To register after graduation from a dental hygiene program,
contact
your
provincial or territorial regulatory authority for the process you need to follow. The
requirements and the
order
in which they must be met may vary depending on the province or territory and whether you have
graduated
from
an accredited program or a non-accredited program.
This section is a generalized look at the licensing process in Canada; each province is responsible
for, and
is the
best resource for, information about regulation in their province.
Accredited vs. Non-Accredited Programs
See CDHA's list of dental hygiene degree, diploma, and non-accredited programs.
Dental hygiene programs seeking accreditation must be assessed by the Commission on Dental
Accreditation of
Canada
(CDAC). The accreditation process assesses the program's curriculum and outcomes, physical
facilities,
faculty
complement, and the preparation of students for dental hygiene practice in accordance with
CDAC's national
accreditation
requirements. The accreditation process for new programs generally takes about twelve months to
complete.
Because of the nature of the accreditation process, new programs will admit students and begin
instruction
before
applying for accreditation. This is because the program must have students and be running before
the
assessment
by the CDAC can begin. New programs may—but are not required to—apply for accreditation before
admitting
students.
However, it is only when students are enrolled in the final year of the program that CDAC will
conduct an
accreditation
site visit to review the new program. Interested in the accreditation process for dental hygiene
programs
and
schools? Check out "Accreditation
Requirements for Dental Hygiene Programs,"
available on the CDA website
The Regulatory Process for Graduates of Non-Accredited Dental Hygiene Programs
Graduates of non-accredited programs may become licensed and registered dental hygienists. First, the
graduate must
apply to the National Dental Hygiene
Certification Board for academic
evaluation
to determine the graduate’s eligibility to write the National Dental Hygiene Certification Exam
(NDHCE).
While
successful completion of the NDHCE is not required by all provincial and territorial dental
hygiene
regulatory
authorities in order to apply for licensure and registration, it is recommended. Having the
NDHCE
certificate
will increase mobility for the dental hygienist, making relocation to another province or
territory much
easier.
The process after successful completion of the NDHCE varies depending on the province and the
situation.
There
are three possibilities:
- Some provinces require the successful completion of a practical exam.
- Some provinces conduct an individual assessment based on the dental hygiene program the
graduate has
completed,
and require a clinical exam only if the program is found to be unsatisfactory.
- In some provinces, graduates of non-accredited dental hygiene programs may not be eligible
to apply for
licensure
and registration, with the exception of dental hygienists who have been practising in
another province
or
territory and are eligible for registration under the labour mobility agreement. This is
currently an
evolving
issue in dental hygiene. The end goal is for all dental hygiene regulatory authorities
to have
mechanisms
for assessing graduates of non-accredited programs. Contacting your regulatory authority
for the most
recent
information is therefore your best option.
Students and graduates of a non-accredited dental hygiene program should contact the dental hygiene
regulatory authority
in the province they wish to practise in, as the requirements for initial licensure and
registration are
determined
by the regulatory authority (see contact
information).
Moving Between Provinces
CDHA
- Notify CDHA of your change of address by updating your profile. At the top of this page,
login with
your username
and password, then click "My Profile" at the top of the screen. You may also phone CDHA
at
1-800-267-5235
or 613-224-5515.
Regulatory Authorities
- Notify the regulatory authority of the province where you are currently registered, and
contact the
regulatory
authority of your province of destination to initiate regulation in that province. (See
contact
information
for the provincial regulatory authorities.)
- You must be regulated by your new province's dental hygiene regulatory authority in order to
practise
dental
hygiene in that province.
- You can be regulated in more than one province. If you will be practising dental hygiene in
more than
one province,
you must hold full registration in all the provinces in which you intend to practise,
but most
provincial
regulatory authorities offer non-practising registration categories for those who will
not be
practising
dental hygiene in that province that year.
- Check with your provincial regulatory authority for more details on regulation in your
province.
Provincial Associations
- You will remain a member of your former province's dental hygienists' association until the
beginning
of the
new membership year, as provincial membership follows the member. You may purchase a
membership in your
new
province's dental hygienists' association and hold two provincial memberships for the
duration of that
membership
year, but membership in your new province's association is not mandatory, with the
exception of
Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia. These four provinces have
mandatory
provincial
membership, which means that you will have to become a member of the provincial
association in order to
practise.
- If you choose, you may retain membership in both provincial associations in following years,
but you
must pay
the membership fees for both associations.