New Graduates of Dental Hygiene Programs

As part of the required online application form, applicants will be required to enter information and/or upload supporting documentation for the items listed below. Details about these requirements can be found in the New Graduate Application Information document as well as the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy.

• Personal information, including contact and demographic information
• Dental hygiene education program information
• Current or previous regulated health professional registration information
• NDHCE completion information
  • Must upload their NDHCE completion certificate
• Primary language information
• Information about the advanced restricted activities they may be eligible to apply for
• Additional post-secondary education information
• Completion information from the "Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct" e-learning course
  • Must upload the e-Learning course completion certificate
• Current CPR certification information
  • Must upload a CPR completion certificate
  • Must upload a Completed CPR Certification Declaration for Instructors form
• Professional Liability Insurance information
  • Must upload Professional Liability Insurance certificate(s)
• Request to access the jurisprudence examination modules
• Responses to good character and fitness to practice declarations
• Verification that a vulnerable sector check has been requested and will be provided to the College
• Two (2) pieces of valid, acceptable identification
  • Must upload 2 pieces of government-issued identification
• The applicant's full name will be entered as an electronic signature and agreement to the Statutory Declaration

Applicants will also be required to arrange for the following documents to be sent to the College, either electronically or by mail:

• An official transcript sent directly from their program
• A vulnerable sector check
• A completed Verification of Registration/Certification/Licensure form sent directly from any other regulatory bodies they were registered with (if necessary)

Please note: all uploaded documents and information provided must be verifiable by the College. The College may contact third parties such as regulatory bodies or agencies or educational institutions to verify documentation or the information provided in an application for registration.

Click here to Create an Applicant Profile to start the application process.

New graduate applicants from a dental hygiene education program that is not Council-approved are required to demonstrate substantial equivalence of their qualifications.

In order to assist with determining substantial equivalence, the ACDH, at its sole discretion, conducts substantial equivalence program reviews of dental hygiene education programs every three years or more frequently as required. Substantial equivalence program reviews are only conducted for programs that have been accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). However, accreditation of a dental hygiene education program does not mean a program is determined to be substantially equivalent. Accreditation is the first step and a requirement within the substantial equivalence program review process. If the program you graduated from is not accredited, please refer to the section below for New Graduates of Unaccredited Dental Hygiene Education Programs.

If a dental hygiene education program is determined to not be substantially equivalent, the new graduate applicant from that program is still required to demonstrate substantial equivalence of their qualifications. As per section 5(2) of the Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation, the Registrar or Registration Committee may require the applicant to undergo any examination, testing, or any assessment activity, or direct the applicant to undergo any education or training activities that the Registrar or the Registration Committee considers necessary for the applicant to demonstrate substantial equivalence of their qualifications. For example, an applicant may be required to demonstrate competence by successfully completing a clinical assessment. The requirement for any such examination, testing, assessment, education, or training, will be determined by the ACDH.

For a list of the current substantial equivalence status of dental hygiene education programs, review the information in the "Current Substantial Equivalence Status of Dental Hygiene Education Programs" section below.

As part of the required online application form, applicants will be required to enter information and/or upload supporting documentation for the items listed below. Details about these requirements can be found in the New Graduate Application Information document as well as the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy.

• Personal information, including contact and demographic information
• Dental hygiene education program information
• Current or previous regulated health professional registration information
• NDHCE completion information
  • Must upload their NDHCE completion certificate
• Primary language information
• Information about the advanced restricted activities they may be eligible to apply for
• Additional post-secondary education information
• Completion information from the "Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct" e-learning course
  • Must upload the e-Learning course completion certificate
• Current CPR certification information
  • Must upload a CPR completion certificate
  • Must upload a Completed CPR Certification Declaration for Instructors form
• Professional Liability Insurance information
  • Must upload Professional Liability Insurance certificate(s)
• Request to access the jurisprudence examination modules
• Responses to good character and fitness to practice declarations
• Verification that a vulnerable sector check has been requested and will be provided to the College
• Two (2) pieces of valid, acceptable identification
  • Must upload 2 pieces of government-issued identification
• The applicant's full name will be entered as an electronic signature and agreement to the Statutory Declaration

Applicants will also be required to arrange for the following documents to be sent to the College, either electronically or by mail:

• An official transcript sent directly from their program
• A vulnerable sector check
• A completed Verification of Registration/Certification/Licensure form sent directly from any other regulatory bodies they were registered with (if necessary)
• Official English language scores sent directly from the testing service (if necessary)

Please note: all uploaded documents and information provided must be verifiable by the College. The College may contact third parties such as regulatory bodies or agencies or educational institutions to verify documentation or the information provided in an application for registration.

Click here to Create an Applicant Profile to start the application process.

The University of Alberta (U of A) Dental Hygiene Program is the Council-approved program in Alberta. It teaches to the full scope of practice in Alberta and serves as the benchmark program of study for all applicants for registration.

Under the authority of section 5(1) of the Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation, when graduates from schools other than the University of Alberta submit an application for registration, the College compares the qualifications and competencies required for graduation from that school to the qualifications and competencies required for graduation from the U of A dental hygiene program to determine if the other program is substantially equivalent. Although the U of A currently only offers a degree-level education program, the benchmark used by the ACDH compares to the diploma-level.

This comparison is done through a substantial equivalence program review. The outcome of the review is then generally applied to individuals who graduate up to three years following the graduation date of the cohort for which the program review was completed.  

The ACDH initiates substantial equivalence program reviews on behalf of applicants and asks dental hygiene education programs to participate in this process every three years. The ACDH reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to conduct program reviews more frequently. 

There are three possible outcomes of a program review:

• The program is determined to be substantially equivalent:
  • This means the qualifications of graduates of the program meet the benchmark requirements.
• The program is determined to be substantially equivalent with some deficiencies:
  • This means the qualifications of graduates of the program meet most of the benchmark requirements. These deficiencies alone would not prevent applicants from being registered in Alberta, however, the College would recommend that individuals seek out additional mentorship, guidance, continuing education activities to support them in their practice of dental hygiene.
• The program is determined to be not substantially equivalent:
  • This means the qualifications of graduates of the program do not meet enough of the benchmark requirements to demonstrate entry-level competence to practice dental hygiene safely in Alberta.

The table below lists the dental hygiene programs that are currently either substantially equivalent (SE) or substantially equivalent with some deficiencies (SE-D).

Please note: The outcome of a program review is not guaranteed based on the previous review. The substantial equivalency of a dental hygiene education program, as determined by the ACDH, may change before an individual graduates, depending on when the last review was completed and the duration of the education program.

The ACDH will only disclose the outcome of a program review. Details about an individual program review will only be disclosed to designated contacts of that program.

Below is a list of schools that were previously determined to be substantially equivalent, however, new applications for registration from graduates of these programs will require a substantial equivalence program review before a decision can be made.

If you have questions about a program that is not on either of the lists above, please contact the Registration Team.

Section 5 of the Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation does not refer to or require the ACDH to register applicants based on accreditation of a program, but instead states that an applicant’s qualifications must be determined by the Registrar or the Registration Committee to be substantially equivalent to the competence requirements of a graduate from the Council-approved dental hygiene education program. 

Accreditation and substantial equivalence program reviews are separate assessments of a program. The ACDH does not determine accreditation of a program.

Accreditation

The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC), is the body responsible for accrediting dental, dental specialty, dental residency, dental hygiene and dental assisting education programs in Canada. Within the accreditation process, CDAC continuously develops, approves and revises its accreditation standards. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) is the national programmatic agency for dental and dental-related education programs at the post-secondary level that determines accreditation within the United States.

Substantial Equivalence Program Review

The substantial equivalence program review process conducted by the ACDH compares the qualifications and competencies required for graduation from a program that is not the Council-approved program to the qualifications and competencies required for graduation from the U of A Dental Hygiene Program to determine if the other program is substantially equivalent. Although the U of A currently only offers a degree-level education program, the benchmark used by the ACDH compares programs to the diploma-level.

• A post-secondary dental hygiene education program that is accredited by CDAC or CODA may or may not be considered substantially equivalent by the ACDH.
• A post-secondary dental hygiene education program that is not accredited will not be considered substantially equivalent.

The table below outlines how new graduates of dental hygiene education programs that are not the Council-approved program can demonstrate competence as part of their application for registration:

Benchmark Program

The University of Alberta (U of A) Dental Hygiene Program is the Council-approved program in Alberta. It teaches to the full scope of practice in Alberta and serves as the benchmark program of study for all applicants for registration.

Substantial Equivalence Program Review

Under the authority of section 5(1) of the Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation, when graduates from schools other than the University of Alberta submit an application for registration, the College compares the qualifications and competencies required for graduation from that school to the qualifications and competencies required for graduation from the U of A Dental Hygiene Education Program to determine if the other program is substantially equivalent. Although the U of A currently only offers a degree-level education program, the benchmark used by the ACDH compares to the diploma-level. This comparison is done through a program review. The results of the review are then generally applied to individuals who graduate up to 3 years following the graduation date of the cohort for which the program review was completed. The College reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to conduct program reviews more frequently.  

For example, if the ACDH reviewed a dental hygiene education program whose students graduated in June of 2024 and found the program for that cohort to be substantially equivalent to the U of A program, the ACDH could accordingly determine that applicants who graduated from that program between June 2024 and May 2027 have the entry-level competencies required to practice safely in Alberta. An application from an individual who graduated from that program after May 2027 would require a new program review.

The outcome of a program review is not guaranteed based on the previous review. The substantial equivalency of a program, as determined by ACDH, may change before an individual graduates, depending on when the last review was completed and the duration of the education program. 

Current Program Status

To find out if a program is currently substantially equivalent, please refer to the list in the "Current Substantial Equivalence Status of Dental Hygiene Education Programs" section above. If you have questions about the substantial equivalence program review process, please contact the Registration Team.

An applicant from a dental hygiene education program that has been determined by the ACDH to not be substantially equivalent is welcome to apply for registration directly after graduation and must meet all the other requirements listed in the New Graduate Application Information document. However, as per section 5(2) of the Dental Hygienists Profession Regulation, the Registrar or Registration Committee may require the applicant to undergo any examination, testing or any assessment activity, or direct the applicant to undergo any education or training activities that the Registrar or the Registration Committee considers necessary for the applicant to demonstrate qualifications and competence that are substantially equivalent in order to be registered. For example, an applicant may be required to demonstrate competence by successfully completing a clinical assessment. The requirement for any such examination, testing, assessment, education, or training, will be determined by the ACDH.

Currently, the available assessments are offered through the University of Alberta Continuing Dental Education department (the Clinical Competence Assessment), or the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulators of Canada (the Clinical Performance Examination in Dental Hygiene).

As part of the required online application form, applicants will be required to enter information and/or upload supporting documentation for the items listed below. Details about these requirements can be found in the Application Information for New Graduates of Unaccredited Programs document as well as the Registration and Practice Permit Renewal Policy.

• Personal information, including contact and demographic information
• Dental hygiene education program information
• Current or previous regulate health professional registration information
• NDHCE completion information
  • Must upload their NDHCE completion certificate
• CPEDH completion information (This is a mandatory requirement in this situation)
  • Must upload their CPEDH completion certificate
• Primary language information
• Information about the advanced restricted activities they may be eligible to apply for
• Additional post-secondary education information
• Completion information from the "Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct" e-learning course
  • Must upload the e-learning course completion certificate
• Current CPR certification information
  • Must upload a CPR completion certificate
  • Must upload a completed CPR Certification Declaration for Instructors form
• Professional Liability Insurance information
  • Must upload Professional Liability Insurance certificate(s)
• Request to access the jurisprudence examination modules
• Responses to good character and fitness to practice declarations
• Verification that a vulnerable sector check has been requested and will be provided to the College
• Two (2) pieces of valid, acceptable identification
  • Must upload 2 pieces of government-issued identification
• The applicant's full name will be entered as an electronic signature and agreement to the Statutory Declaration.

Applicants will also be required to arrange for the following documents to be sent to the College, either electronically or by mail:

• An official transcript sent directly from their program
• A vulnerable sector check
• A completed Verification of Registration/Certification/Licensure form sent directly from any other regulatory bodies they were registered with (if necessary)
• Official English language scores sent directly from the testing service (if necessary)

Please note: all uploaded documents and information provided must be verifiable by the College. The College may contact third parties such as regulatory bodies or agencies or educational institutions to verify documentation or the information provided in an application for registration.

Click here to Create an Applicant Profile to start the application process.

Visit the page for Dental Hygienists Working in Other Jurisdictions and call the College if you need additional information. 

If your application for registration in another jurisdiction is approved before your application for registration with ACDH is approved, your application as a new grad will have to be withdrawn and you will have to reapply as a dental hygienist working in another jurisdiction. Call the College as soon as possible. 

The Alberta College of Dental Hygienists (ACDH) is a regulatory body, not an educational institute. Please refer to the What is A Registered Dental Hygienist page of our website for more information about education, practice, and employment opportunities.