The Dental Hygiene
Profession in Canada

Dental hygiene services include all interventions performed within the dental hygiene scope of practice directed towards attaining and maintaining optimal oral health for individuals and communities.

The Dental Hygiene Process of Care is utilized to assess diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate policies, processes, interventions, and outcomes. The utilization of each step, in progression, of the dental hygiene process of care, is essential to the safe and effective delivery of dental hygiene services and programs.

Dental hygienists focus primarily on oral disease prevention but can also be involved in orthodontic procedures, such as braces, and in providing restorative services, such a placing fillings, depending on the province/territory.

Dental hygienists provide a range of personalized care and will work with clients to help maintain proper oral health. Only regulated health professionals may provide dental hygiene services in Canada.

There are approximately 33,500 registered dental hygienists in Canada with the highest numbers being in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.