Historical perspective

The NDHCB was developed in response to a priority concern of Canadian dental hygienists. In 1982, the Canadian Dental Hygienists' Association (CDHA) began to investigate a certification process to enhance portability (the ability of dental hygienists to become licensed or registered in all Canadian jurisdictions) through a nationally recognized credential. The NDHCB was formed in 1994 and given the mandate to develop and administer the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE).

Mandate (Ends)

The National Dental Hygiene Certification Board exists so that Canadian Regulators have reliable and valid testing mechanisms for assessing current dental hygiene competencies.

This is further defined, in order of priority as:

1. Canadian Regulators trust our testing mechanisms for assessing entry level competencies.
   1. They recognize that examinations measure current dental hygiene knowledge, judgement and skills.
2. Examination candidates/applicants are able to participate in the examination process within a reasonable amount of time and at a reasonable cost.
   1. They will be provided with clear, defensible criteria for eligibility to ‘sit’ the exam.
   2. They will have adequate exam parameters.
   3. They will receive an exam that is free of bias.
   4. They will have feedback to identify areas for improvement.
3. Educators, accreditors of dental hygiene educational programs, dental hygiene professionals and dental hygiene professional organizations will recognize and champion the quality, validity and reliability of national dental hygiene certification.

Function

On behalf of the participating Canadian Dental Hygiene regulators, the NDHCB is the agency responsible for the development, administration, scoring and reporting of results of the NDHCE.

The NDHCB offers a credential, based on national practice and education standards. The National Dental Hygiene Certificate is issued based on successful completion of the NDHCE, a written examination to assess a candidate's readiness for entry-to-practice. This enables the holder to obtain registration or licensure to practice dental hygiene in most Canadian provinces (the NDHCE is not currently required in Quebec), providing all other requirements imposed by the regulatory authorities are also met.
Please note that clinical practice evaluations are conducted by most Canadian dental hygiene regulatory authorities for graduates of non-accredited dental hygiene programs.

The NDHCB operates and delivers its exams in the two official languages of Canada: English and French.

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