Registration
There are over 12,000 registered dental hygienists in Ontario. To practise dental hygiene in Ontario, a person must be registered with the CDHO. Only those persons currently registered with the CDHO may use the title “dental hygienist” or any variety or translation of “dental hygienist”, including the initials RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist).
Registration assures the public that dental hygienists are accountable to the CDHO for providing safe, ethical care that meets the standards of the profession.
Requirements of Registration
The practice of dental hygiene in Ontario is governed under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) and Dental Hygiene Act, 1991 (DHA). There are a number of regulations made under the DHA to which all registered dental hygienists in Ontario must comply. In accordance with section 31(1)1 of regulation 537/99 made under the DHA, which deals with registration, an applicant must have:
- Successfully completed a program of at least two years in dental hygiene that at the time of the applicant's graduation was accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada or by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, or
- Successfully completed a program of at least two years in dental hygiene that the Registration Committee considers to be equivalent to an accredited program, or
- Successfully completed some courses in two or more of the programs referred to in subparagraphs i and ii if the Registration Committee considers the courses to be equivalent to having successfully completed a program referred to in subparagraph i, or
- In the case of an applicant who has previously held a certificate of registration under the Act or a predecessor of the Act but does not hold a certificate at the time of application, successfully completed a program of study in dental hygiene that the Registration Committee considers to be substantially similar to a program referred to in subparagraph i.
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