Browser Cookies
This site uses cookies necessary to properly function. By closing this popup, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to the use of cookies. View our policies.

Dental Hygiene Regulation in Canada

 

To practice in Canada, dental hygienists must be registered or licensed by the appropriate provincial or territorial dental hygiene regulatory authority. Requirements for registration or licensure, including clinical experience, examinations, and ongoing professional development, vary by province or territory. This document helps readers understand the dental hygiene profession in Canada. The information collected is accurate from the time it was collected (June 2024).

Regulation and licensure of health care professionals falls to the provinces and territories in Canada. The laws and regulations define the entry to practice requirements and the scope of practice for dental hygienists in the specified jurisdiction. As a result, there are variations in legal scopes of practice and autonomy across Canada. If you are looking for more specific information pertinent to a particular jurisdiction, please contact the regulatory body directly.

The scope of dental hygiene practice describes the roles, procedures, actions, and processes that a registered dental hygienist is educated, competent, and authorized to perform. Each province/territory enacts its own legislation determining the services dental hygienists can provide and under what conditions. These services are directed towards attaining and maintaining optimal oral health for individuals and communities. In this context, the process of care model (ADPIE—Assess, Diagnose, Plan, Implement, and Evaluate) underpins the decision making within dental hygiene care. Each phase in the process of care is essential for the delivery of safe and effective dental hygiene services.

For more information on the scope of practice in a particular province or territory, please contact the regulatory body in that jurisdiction.

 

 

Jurisdiction*

BC

AB

SK

MB

ON

QC

NB

NS

PE

NL

YT

NT

NU

Regulatory Body

BC College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP)

Alberta College of Dental Hygienists (ACDH)

College of Dental Hygienists of Saskatchewan (CDHS)

College of Dental Hygienists of Manitoba (CDHM)

College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO)

Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec

New Brunswick   College of Dental Hygienists (NBCDH)

College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia (CDHNS)

College of Dental   Hygienists of Prince Edward Island (CDHPEI)

Newfoundland and Labrador College of Dental Hygienists (NLCDH)

Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals (NLCHP)

Government of Yukon

Northwest Territories Professional Licensing, Government of NWT

Department of Health Government of Nunavut

Legislation

Health Professions Act

Health Professions Act

Dental Disciplines Act

The Dental Hygienists Act

Dental Hygiene Act

 

Regulated Health Professions Act

C-26

Professional Code

New Brunswick Dental Hygienists Act

Dental Hygienists Act

Regulated Health Professions Act

Health Professions Act

Dental Profession Act

Dental Auxiliaries Act

Dental Auxiliaries Act

  Regulations

Dental Hygienists Regulation, Bylaws and Schedules

Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation

Regulatory Bylaws

Dental Hygienists Regulation

Regulations under the Dental Hygiene Act

Laws, Policies, and Regulations (French)

Rules under the New Brunswick Dental Hygienists Act

(English)

(French)

Dental Hygienists Regulations

Dental Hygienists Regulations

CDHPEI Bylaws

Dental Hygienists Regulations under the Health Professions Act

See Dental Profession Act

Dental Auxiliaries Regulations

See Dental Auxiliaries Act

  Quality              Assurance        Program

Quality Assurance Program

Continuing Competence Program

Continuing Competency Program

Continuing Competency Program

Quality Assurance Program

Mandatory Continuing Education Policy

Professional Inspection Program

Continuing Competencies and Education Program

Quality Assurance Program

Continuing Education and Competency Program (CEC)

Continuing Education and Professional   Development Policy

None

None

None

     Requirements   for       Professional   Liability     Insurance

$1 million

$1 million per claim; $5 million aggregate

+ Professional Liability Insurance Policy

$1 million

$1 million per claim; $3 million aggregate

$1 million per claim; $5 million aggregate

+ Bylaw No. 5

$1 million

$1 million per claim; $5 million aggregate

$2 million aggregate

+ CDHNS Council Policy

$1 million per claim; $3 million aggregate

$1 million

None

None

None

* BC=British Columbia, AB=Alberta, SK=Saskatchewan, MB=Manitoba, ON=Ontario, QC=Québec, NB=New Brunswick, NS=Nova Scotia, PE=Prince Edward Island, NL=Newfoundland and Labrador, YT=Yukon Territory, NT=Northwest Territories, NU=Nunavut

Number of Dental Hygienists

 

Jurisdiction

BC

AB

SK

MB

ON

QC

NB

NS

PE

NL

YT

NT

NU

TOTAL

Total No. of Dental Hygienists*

4,391

4,035

663

820

14,551

7,095

563

836

149

277

37+

29+

23+

33,469

*Practicing category

+Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information. Health Workforce in Canada, 2017 to 2021 — Data Tables. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2022. (https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/health-workforce-canada-2017-2021-overview-data-tables-en.xlsx)

Date published: June 11, 2024

DISCLAIMER: While the information above is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact the accuracy of the information. The information may change without notice and the FDHRC™ is not in any way liable for the accuracy of any information printed and stored or in any way interpreted and used by a user. To obtain the most accurate and up-to-date information, please contact the individual regulator directly. A list of regulators can be found here: https://www.fdhrc.ca/pages/dental-hygiene-in-canada/provincial-regulators/ 

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.