Nova Scotia dental hygienists now register with the Nova Scotia Regulator of Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, and Denturism: an accredited program, the NDHCE, the Nova Scotia jurisprudence examination, and a practising licence year from November 1 to October 31.
Applies in: Nova Scotia
To become a dental hygienist in Nova Scotia, you graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program, pass the national certification examination, complete the Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination, and register for a practising licence with the Nova Scotia Regulator of Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, and Denturism (NSRDHDTD). The regulator's name changed with amalgamation: the Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology and Denturism Regulations state that the College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia is continued as a regulatory body under the name Nova Scotia Regulator of Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, and Denturism. Those regulations took effect May 1, 2025, under the Regulated Health Professions Act, and the new regulator also replaces the former regulators for dental technology and denturism.
Written November 14, 2026
A new applicant arranges for an official transcript with proof of graduation from an accredited school to be sent directly to the NSRDHDTD, by mail or email to its Bedford address. If your school was non-accredited, the checklist route is your official transcript plus a copy of the certificate of completion of a Clinical Competency Assessment in a recognized jurisdiction.
The application itself has a practical warning on the NSRDHDTD new applicant checklist: the application must be submitted once started and cannot be saved. Gather your documents before you begin. CPR and professional liability insurance documents are mandatory to upload with your first submission; other documents can be uploaded later following review, but an application is not complete until all applicable documentation is received.
You need the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE). Your NDHCE certificate is certified by either a notary public or a commissioner of oaths and mailed directly to the NSRDHDTD, or you have originals sent directly to the regulator. Completing the NDHCE section within your first application submission is mandatory — you cannot submit an application without that information.
Certificates for any modules completed separately from your dental hygiene program — for example permanent restorative, orthodontics or local anaesthetic — follow the same certified-copy route.
For a new applicant, the checklist requires:
Currency rules apply if you did not graduate recently. The 45 hours of continuing dental hygiene education in the three years before your application, and evidence of 600 hours of dental hygiene practice in those three years, do not apply to applicants who graduated within the last 36 months.
Local anaesthesia, orthodontics and permanent restorative competencies are recognized through a separate online application form linked within the general application. Those procedures are not mandatory to obtain a practising licence in Nova Scotia, but you cannot perform them unless the NSRDHDTD authorizes you.
Every new applicant completes the Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination offered through the NSRDHDTD. The regulator launched its own jurisprudence exam on May 1, 2025. It assesses your understanding of the legislation, standards of practice and other matters relevant to practising in Nova Scotia. The cost to take the online exam is $50: once the fee is deposited, you are provided a link to complete the exam, and you must submit a registration application before receiving that link.
The checklist is explicit: three fees total, paid by certified cheque, money order, e-transfer or credit card, with invoices generated for you.
The NSRDHDTD licence year runs from November 1 to October 31, and practising licences expire on October 31 each year. If you apply from August to October, the regulator asks you to consider carefully whether you are applying for the licensing year that ends October 31 or for the upcoming year that begins November 1.
That pathway keeps the same core: proof of identity including verification that you are a Canadian citizen or legally allowed to work in Canada, currency in practice — a diploma or degree within the last three years, evidence of practice within the last three years including the 600 practice hours where applicable, or a Council-approved refresher within the last year — currency in continuing education, the Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination certificate, good conduct declarations, a permanent CPR card or certificate from the last 12 months with classroom and practical components, professional liability insurance for the full period of your initial practising licence, and English language proficiency evidence where it applies.
The NSRDHDTD pages opened for this guide state the current regulator name, the new applicant checklist and fees for the November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026 licensing year, and the $50 jurisprudence examination. They do not state a practising licence fee for the November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027 licensing year on the checklist read here, so this guide gives no figure for that year. They also do not state a processing time for a new application, so this guide gives none.
| Application fee | $135, non-refundable, must be sent before the application will be reviewed |
|---|---|
| Registration fee | $160, one-time fee |
| Practising licence fee | $580 for November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026 |
| Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination | $50 for the online exam |
Three fees total for a new applicant — application, registration and practising licence — invoiced in stages, plus the $50 jurisprudence examination fee.
The Nova Scotia Regulator of Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, and Denturism (NSRDHDTD). The Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology and Denturism Regulations state that the College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia is continued as a regulatory body under that name, regulating dental hygiene, dental technology and denturism.
Three fees total on the 2025/26 new applicant checklist: a $135 non-refundable application fee, a $160 one-time registration fee, and a $580 practising licence fee for November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026. The Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination costs a further $50.
The National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE). Your NDHCE certificate is certified by a notary public or commissioner of oaths and sent to the NSRDHDTD, and completing the NDHCE section is mandatory within your first application submission.
Yes. You must complete the Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination offered through the NSRDHDTD, which the regulator launched on May 1, 2025. It costs $50, and you must submit a registration application before you receive a link to the exam.
November 1 to October 31. Practising licences expire on October 31 each year, and registrants renew the practising licence and pay the required fees each year.
Yes, there is a separate pathway for applicants currently registered or licensed in another Canadian jurisdiction. You still file identity proof, currency in practice and continuing education, the Nova Scotia Jurisprudence Examination certificate, a CPR card from the last 12 months, and professional liability insurance for the full licence period.