Mission Statement

The mission of the College of Dental Hygienists of British Columbia (CDHBC) is to protect the public by developing, advocating, and regulating safe and ethical dental hygiene practice in British Columbia.

In 1951, Canada's first dental hygienist, Mary (Brett) Geddes, was registered by the College of Dental Surgeons in Saskatchewan. The next year, the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C. (CDSBC) registered its first dental hygienist, Norma Bell. The regulation of dental hygienists in B.C. continued under CDSBC until 1995, when the College of Dental Hygienists was established.

CDHBC was proud to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2010, and 2011 marked the 60th year that dental hygiene has been officially recognized as a health profession in this province.

Today, there are more than 3300 registered dental hygienists in B.C.

As a registrant of a self-regulating profession, a dental hygienist must practice safely, ethically, and effectively for the promotion of the oral health and well-being of the public, as outlined by the CDHBC Practice Standards.

In accordance with the Health Professions Act, the practice of dental hygiene is monitored and regulated by independent governing bodies in each province. Certain provinces, including B.C., require dental hygienists to obtain national certification (see NDHCB) before applying for registration. Those who have not graduated from a program on Schedule I and/or have not been previously registered within Canada, or dental hygienists from other countries, also must successfully challenge the CDHBC Clinical Exam in order to apply for registration to practice within British Columbia.

News & Events

Notice of Annual General Meeting:
Thursday, June 7, 7-8pm

Tigh-Na-Mara Conference Centre, Parksville

Current Issues Update with Acting Registrar Heather Biggar, 8-9pm

Please RSVP by May 25; contact the College office at 800/778-8277 or email cdhbc@cdhbc.com.

Notice re. Residential Care Applicants

The final date of submission for Full Registration (Residential Care) applications will be June 25th, 2012; applications must be received by the College office no later than 4pm on Monday, June 25th.  Please contact the College office for more information.

Notice of New Registration Category

At the BCDHA Annual General Meeting on March 31st, the Hon. Mike de Jong, Minister of Health, announced that he has approved a change to the CDHBC Bylaws that will create a 365-day rule exempt category of registration. It's important to note that this change will not come into effect until July 3rd, 2012. Please click here for the announcement from the Minister and BCDHA. To view an FAQ document about the change, please click here. In addition, stay tuned to our website for more details.

QAP Information Video

Join the Registrar to learn about the development process and details of the new QAP. To view the video, click here.

ACCESS Spring 2012

Download the most recent CDHBC newsletter here, or visit the News & Events page to view back-issues.

December Bulletin:

Oral Cancer Screening
Documentation Standards

This bulletin serves as an important tool to be considered during a registrant's practice; therefore, CDHBC encourages all registrants to take the time to review the document. Click here to download.

NEW: Online Registration Application

CDHBC now offers an online form for initial registration applications (Canada & U.S. only), allowing fees to be paid by credit card. Please note that additional documents are required and processing may take up to 6 weeks; until notified by phone that registration has been processed, an applicant is NOT allowed to work as a dental hygienist in B.C. To complete your registration application, click here.