How to Become a Dental Hygienist in Ontario

Written November 13, 2026

The short answer

Graduate from a dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada or the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation, pass the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination and the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario's Jurisprudence Examination, then submit your application through the College's Self-Service Portal with your transcript, work eligibility proof, police record check, and liability insurance. The College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO) sets out the route in five steps for graduates of accredited programs in Canada or the USA.

This guide follows the accredited-program route in Ontario only. Graduates of non-accredited and international programs take a different CDHO route, with credential evaluation by the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada and an additional clinical examination, and dental hygienists registered in other provinces take the College's Canadian jurisdiction route described at the end.

Step 1: Confirm your program was accredited

The College accepts educational programs in dental hygiene in Canada or the USA that were accredited, at the time of graduation, by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The timing clause matters: accreditation is judged at your graduation date, not at the date you apply. Check the program's status for your graduating year before you spend money on examinations.

Ontario treats dental hygiene as its own profession. The College makes the point explicitly on its non-accredited programs page: in Ontario, dental hygiene is a separate and independently regulated health profession from dentistry, and applicants who completed a program in dentistry will likely have to complete a new program in dental hygiene to become registered. A dentistry degree is not a shortcut into this register.

Step 2: Pass the NDHCE

The Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (FDHRC) administers the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE, the written exam) that you must successfully complete before becoming registered. Eligibility criteria, application requirements, fees, and upcoming examination dates sit on the FDHRC website; the College's page directs applicants there rather than restating them. Sequence your application around this exam, because registration cannot be granted ahead of it on the accredited route.

Step 3: Pass the Jurisprudence Examination

All applicants must successfully complete the College's Jurisprudence Examination. It tests your understanding of the laws applicable to Registered Dental Hygienists in Ontario. The practical details are unusually forgiving, and worth knowing exactly:

• The exam is multiple choice and open book, available through the College's Self-Service Portal. You need to create an account to access it, and that same account is used later for the application form.
• You need a grade of 80% or higher.
• You have an unlimited number of attempts.
• The exam must be completed within one year of applying.

The College offers a Jurisprudence Education Module and a Self-Study Guide, advises reviewing both before attempting the exam, and recommends having the Registrants' Handbook available for reference while you write it.

Step 4: Refresher course or competency assessment, if it applies to you

Some applicants must complete an approved refresher course or undergo a professional competency assessment. The College names two groups: applicants who graduated from their dental hygiene program three years or more before applying and have not practised dental hygiene in the past three years; and applicants previously registered as a dental hygienist in Ontario or another jurisdiction who have not practised in the past three years. Where it applies, the refresher course or competency assessment must be completed in the 18 months before any Certificate of Registration is issued. Recent graduates practising without a gap skip this step entirely.

Step 5: Submit the application

Log in to the Self-Service Portal with the account created for the Jurisprudence Examination and complete the application form. The document rules are strict, and most of them exist to stop a specific shortcut:

• Transcripts. Contact your educational institution to have your official transcript sent directly to the College, by email to registration@cdho.org or by mail to CDHO — Registration, 175 Bloor Street East, North Tower, Suite 601, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3R8. The College does not accept unofficial transcripts, copies of diplomas, or documents sent directly by applicants. For colleges that have closed, the College directs applicants to the Ontario ministry responsible for colleges for a transcript.
• Eligibility to work in Canada. Submit a copy of a Canadian birth certificate, Canadian passport, Canadian citizenship certificate, permanent resident card, or valid work permit. All documents must be valid at the time of registration.
• Police record check. All applicants must submit a Canadian police record check, a name-based search of the RCMP's Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system. The College only requires a Level 1 check but will accept any other check provided it is no more than one year old at the time of application. Requests should include all previous names and aliases.
• Past conduct declarations. Declare any criminal or other charge not resulting in a not-guilty verdict; any current proceeding or past finding of professional misconduct, incompetency, or incapacity in any profession in any jurisdiction; any past unsuccessful registration application as a dental hygienist; any failed attempt at a licensing or certification examination for any profession; and any finding of academic misconduct. Anything that arises after you submit but before registration is granted must be reported to the College immediately.
• Certificates of standing. If you are or have been registered in any regulated or licensed profession, anywhere, provide a certificate or letter of standing from that body, no more than six months old, sent directly from the body to the College.
• Translation. All documents must be in English or French; anything else needs an official translation, at the applicant's cost.

Professional liability insurance must be in place, meeting the College's stated minimums: $1 million per occurrence, $5 million annual aggregate, a maximum deductible of $4,000 per occurrence, run-off coverage for a minimum of two years, from an insurer licensed by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario or the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada, including the endorsement covering sexual abuse therapy and counselling funding. The College names the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association and the Ontario Dental Hygienists' Association as sources, or any insurance broker.

Two timing rules close the process. You have one year to complete the full application, including all documentation; incomplete applications expire automatically one year after the application fee is paid, and a new application and fee are then required. The College aims to process completed applications within 10 business days of receiving all required information and documentation. One calendar trap: an application processed and approved between October 15 and December 9 also requires the renewal fee for the following year, and the College notes you may choose to wait and complete registration in January instead; applications submitted after December 9 are processed in January. All fees are paid online by credit card through the Self-Service Portal.

Registered in another Canadian province

CDHO runs a dedicated route for dental hygienists registered elsewhere in Canada, in two streams. The As of Right stream lets a hygienist registered in good standing in another province or territory begin working in Ontario immediately while the application is under review, provided they have not been refused registration in the past two years, have never been found guilty of professional misconduct or found incompetent or incapacitated, hold liability insurance meeting CDHO's requirements, and have submitted the application and an attestation form. All remaining requirements must be completed within six months, and services may only be provided to patients while the hygienist is physically present in Ontario. The regular stream completes the jurisprudence examination and other steps first; the College approves within 10 business days of a completed application, and practice starts only after approval.

What the opened pages do not state

The CDHO pages opened for this guide state the program, examination, document, and insurance requirements, and the 10-business-day processing aim, but they link out to a separate fees page and to the FDHRC for examination fees rather than stating amounts, so this guide carries no application, registration, or examination fee figures. Check the College's fees page and the FDHRC site for the current amounts when you apply.

Related guides:

• How to Become a Dental Hygienist in Canada — the national picture of dental hygiene regulation and the national examination.
• How to Become a Dentist in Canada — the separate dentistry route; Ontario regulates the two professions independently.
• How to Start Getting Dental Care Covered in Canada — the patient side of dental care: how public dental programs fit together across Canada.
• How to Get Your Foreign Credentials Recognized in Ontario — the credential assessment mechanics that sit alongside the CDHO route for internationally educated applicants.

Sources

• College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, Graduates from Accredited Educational Programs (Canada or the USA) — the five steps: CDAC or CODA accreditation at graduation, the NDHCE through the FDHRC, the Jurisprudence Examination (open book, 80% or higher, unlimited attempts, within one year of applying), the refresher and competency assessment triggers and 18-month window, the application documents (direct transcripts, work eligibility, Level 1 police record check, past conduct declarations, certificates of standing, translation), the liability insurance minimums, the one-year application expiry, the October 15 to December 9 renewal note, and the 10-business-day processing aim.
• College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, Applicants from a Regulated Canadian Jurisdiction — the As of Right stream (practise immediately, requirements completed within six months, services only while physically present in Ontario) and the regular stream with approval within 10 business days of a completed application.
• College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario, Graduates from Non-Accredited and International Programs — dental hygiene as a separate and independently regulated profession from dentistry in Ontario, FDHRC credential evaluation for non-accredited and international programs, and the additional Canadian Performance Exam in Dental Hygiene on that route.