Licensure

A registered dental hygienist must be licensed by the state in which he or she practices. To qualify for a dental hygienist license in nearly all states, a candidate must have fulfilled dental hygienist requirements and graduated from an accredited dental hygiene school. He or she must have also passed both a written and clinical examination to obtain a dental hygienist certificate. The written examination, accepted by all states and the District of Columbia, is administered by the American Dental Association's Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. Alternatively, state or regional testing agencies administer the clinical examination that is required to obtain a dental hygienist license.

Many states call for an examination on the legal facets of the dental hygiene practice as well. To renew a dental hygienist license, the American Dental Hygienists' Association requires continuing education for dental hygienists on any number of topics including, but not limited to, managing medication side effects, medical emergencies in the oral health practice, dental digital radiographic imaging and diet implications on oral health.