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Dental Hygienists Educated Outside of Canada

Welcome to Canada!

Preparing to work as a dental hygienist in Canada

Internationally educated dental hygiene professionals who wish to practice their profession in Canada must first apply for a formal equivalency assessment of their education and professional credentials (if applicable) by the FDHRC™. They should also contact the regulatory college in the province where they plan to work, to determine all licensure/regulatory requirements.

Note: The equivalency assessment process is different in the province of Québec. Applicants planning to work in this province should contact l'Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec.

In general, the steps to qualification for employment as a registered dental hygienist in Canada for internationally educated dental hygienists are as follows:

  • Granting of Equivalency Assessment
  • Successful Completion of Examination(s)
  • Demonstration of Language Proficiency
  • Occupational Training and Upgrading (if necessary)
  • Application for Registration/Licensure with the provincial regulatory body

For more information about Canadian immigration, visit:

Immigration and Citizenship - Canada.ca

For Canadian Labour Market and Employment Information, visit:

Dental hygienists | CIHI

Territory Acknowledgement

The FDHRCTM office stands on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. The Algonquin peoples have had a special, reciprocal relationship with this territory since time immemorial, and this relationship continues today. The FDHRCTM recognizes without qualification the inherent lands and territory rights of the Algonquin peoples as articulated in Section 35 of the Constitution Act of Canada 1982, as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which is enshrined in various legislation in what is now commonly called Canada.

See the FDHRC’sTM full territory acknowledgement here.