Exam Eligibility

Are You Eligible to Write the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination?

This section of our Web site lays out in detail who is eligible to write the NDHCE, the educational and documentation requirements that must be met, and other related material.

a) Student in an Accredited Dental Hygiene Program
A student in a dental hygiene program that is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA/CODA), may apply to write the NDHCE upon confirmation by the dental hygiene program director or designate, that the student, at the application deadline date, is within four months of completion of the dental hygiene program.

b) Student in the cohort of a Dental Hygiene Program that has been reviewed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) and to whom CDAC has granted “Program Status Under Review”.
Such student may apply to write the NDHCE upon confirmation by the dental hygiene program director or designate, that the student, at the application deadline date, is within four months of completion of the dental hygiene program AND following verification of eligibility by the NDHCB (see Education and Documentation Requirements below). Please note that those students can also only submit their eligibility evaluation application if they are within four months of program completion.
Students in subsequent cohorts of the program will be given the same consideration until such time as the CDAC notifies the NDHCB that “status under review” has been revoked or that accreditation has been granted.

An applicant who is a graduate of a dental hygiene program that was accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA/CODA), on the date of the applicant’s graduation may apply to write the NDHCE.

An applicant who is a graduate of a dental hygiene program that was not accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA/CODA), on the date of the applicant’s graduation, may apply to write the NDHCE following verification of eligibility by the NDHCB in accordance with the following criteria.

Graduates of non-accredited dental hygiene programs must meet all of the following requirements before an evaluation of their dental hygiene academic credentials is initiated.

The dental hygiene program from which the applicant graduated must satisfy the following educational requirements for the applicant to be eligible for evaluation. The dental hygiene program must:

ALL of the following documentation must be submitted to the NDHCB, by the applicant or on behalf of the applicant, prior to initiation of the evaluation process.

2.1

An Eligibility application form - completed and SIGNED

2.2

The fees - CREDIT CARD (VISA or MASTER CARD), CERTIFIED CHEQUE or MONEY ORDER only, in Canadian funds, for $375.00 plus optional services fees and GST, as specified on the Evaluation application form, payable to the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board.

2.3

A notarized copy of legal name change documents, if any document indicates a different surname than the name on the application form.

2.4

The proof of registration/licensure with a dental hygiene regulatory authority OR a letter of eligibility for dental hygiene registration/licensure in the country (jurisdiction) where the dental hygiene education was completed, submitted directly by the dental hygiene regulatory authority.

2.5

A legal description of the practice of dental hygiene in the country where educated. This document must be submitted directly by the agency which issues a certificate of registration/license to practice and must describe exactly what a dental hygienist is permitted to perform for clients/patients in the country of education.

2.6

Demonstration of educational credentials through one of the following options:

For Graduates of a non-accredited program

a.	A notarized copy of dental hygiene diploma/certificate(s), submitted by the applicant. Simple photocopies are not acceptable.
	-and-
b.	An original transcript of grades, submitted directly by the dental hygiene educational institution of graduation.

For Students in a cohort of a program that has been granted “Program Status Under Review” by CDAC

a.	A letter by the Dental Hygiene Program Director stating that the student, at the time of the application for eligibility evaluation, is within four (4) months of completion of the dental hygiene program (including confirmation of the projected program completion date).

2.7

An official statement of course description submitted directly by the dental hygiene educational institution of graduation. This official statement of course description must be in the original language of instruction AND in English or French if available. It must include all of the following:

Length (years, months) of the program;

List of each course studied in the dental hygiene program, including all the information below:

a.	Detailed description of course content, including number of hours of each course and expected outcomes;
b.	Description of practical pre-clinical/laboratory experiences, including number of hours;
c.	Description of practical clinical experiences including location, number of hours, types of dental hygiene services provided and average number/types of clients/patients treated while a student;
d.	Description of the method of evaluation of expected outcomes for each course (e.g. by examination, projects, weekly tests).

It is recommended that this information be submitted in electronic form if possible (CD, USB key, attachment, etc.)

The NDHCB will send back to the applicant a photocopy of any course content received in a language other than English or French and it will be the applicant's responsibility to have it translated by a certified professional.

2.8

Dental Hygiene Program standards must be demonstrated through one of the following options:

For applicants who graduated from a program outside of Canada or the United States:
A report for educational credential evaluation covering the country of education, name of the institution(s) attended, the year and the specific credential received (degree, diploma or certificate), the length of the program, the area(s) of specialization and the Canadian equivalency, prepared and submitted directly by one of the following external credentialing agencies approved by the NDHCB:

a.	World Education Services (WES) - www.wes.org/ca
b.	International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) - www.bcit.ca/ices
c.	International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) - www.learning.gov.ab.ca/iqas

Application forms are available on the web sites listed above.

For applicants from a non-accredited program in Canada or the United States:

A true copy of the written notification confirming that you are part of the cohort (or a subsequent cohort) of a dental hygiene educational program that has “Program Status Under Review”, by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or its equivalence with the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA/CODA). This document must be submitted directly by the dental hygiene educational institution of graduation.

-OR-

An official statement confirming the dental hygiene program is established as a separate school, faculty, division or department recognized by the appropriate government agency in the country where the program is established at a post secondary institution which is also recognized by the appropriate government agency. This document must be submitted directly by the dental hygiene educational institution of graduation.

If the program has already applied to CDAC for accreditation and received a decision from them, it should provide a copy of the CDAC’s decision letter and the details regarding how the Program has addressed any issue identified in the letter.

Note:

1.	A certified official translation must accompany all documents not in English or French. All translations could be audited for acceptability.

2.	If the applicant is deemed eligible to write the NDHCE, a language deficiency in either English or French shall not be grounds for review of examination results or for any form of special accommodations.

How to get an Evaluation Package and Application Form for an Evaluation of Eligibility to Write the NDHCE

Please note that the Eligibility Evaluation process can take 8-10 weeks from the time we receive all the required documentation (no evaluation will start until all documentation has been received).

The NDHCB will communicate with the individual applicants in writing once it has reached an eligibility decision. This letter will include instructions on how to apply for the NDHCE if found eligible.