Equivalency Assessment Process

 

The Equivalency Assessment Process is written for graduates of dental hygiene programs that have not been accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The equivalency assessment process is different in the province of Québec. Applicants wanting to work in this province should contact l'Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec.

 

Step 1 -  Assessing Academic Qualifications

Applicants must first have the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (FDHRC) assess their course of study to determine if they are eligible to take the national written examination. Applicants should review the Equivalency Assessment Handbook to access forms required to complete the assessment and visit the application page to start the process. The fees and dates for the NDHCE are available on the website. 

The FDHRC can be contacted directly at:

Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada
75-B Colonnade Road
Ottawa, ON K2E 0A8
Telephone: 613-260-8156
Fax: 613-260-8511
Email: exam@fdhrc.ca

Applicants have 12-months from the date they open their application to provide FDHRC with all required documentation to complete the assessment. Once the file is complete, the review can take 8-10 weeks to be completed. If required further information will be requested in order for a decision to be reached. If the applicant is found to be eligible to take the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE) they will be contacted by email and move to step 2 in the process. 

If found not eligible to take the NDHCE by the FDHRC:
The applicant may proceed with an application to an individual Canadian provincial regulatory body. The application will be further assessed to determine if the course of study meets the educational requirements. In this case, the applicant must arrange for the college of graduate to send an original, detailed course description directly to the provincial regulator. The course description must relate to the years of study. 

This course description must also include:

• a detailed description of all subjects taught within the course of study,
• the number of hours spent in each subject,
• the number of clinical hours actually spent on scaling, root planning, and prophylaxis procedure, and
• how many and what types of clients these procedures were performed on during the course of study.

Once the complete application is received by the regulator, it takes approximately three-months for the regulator to assess the course of study and come to a decision. The assessment fee is set by each province and may vary. It should be noted that although this path is available, regulators use the same assessment criteria as the FDHRC.

 

Step 2 - Examinations

There are two examinations:

1. National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination (NDHCE) 
This examination is offered by the FDHRC. For more information about the NDHCE review the pages under the National Dental Hygiene Certification Examination dropdown menu at the top of the page. The FDHRC provides a guide and sample questions to assist a candidate prepare for the exam. If a candidate is not considered eligible to sit the NDHCE and the provincial regulatory body considers the course of study equivalent, the applicant will be required to successfully complete a provincial performance-based examination. 

2. Canadian Performance Examination in Dental Hygiene (CPEDH)
Applicants who graduated from a non-accredited and/or international dental hygiene program are required to successfully complete a clinical competency (performance-based) evaluation. The clinical competency examination is currently held at least once a year in British Columbia, Alberta and/or Ontario.

Applicants are eligible to complete the clinical competency evaluation if:

• they have already successfully completed the NDHCE; or

• their course of study has been approved by the provincial regulatory body and they have successfully completed the provincial written examination. 

To learn more about the CPEDH, including fees, dates, and locations visit the CPEDH page. 

 

Step 3 - Registration

Registration (licensing) is required in each province that a dental hygienist wishes to practise. To obtain a certificate of registration, please contact the provincial regulator directly.