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 2023 version of this document was adapted from a previous version collected and published by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. The information collected is accurate from the time it was collected (June 2023).

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)	Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists’ Association (SDHA)	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	SDHA 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

^*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: July 26, 2023