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 close to 3400 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

RENEWAL: Mon., Jan. 9 - Wed., Feb. 29

Registrants are required to submit a renewal application and payment in full before the last day of February. Online renewal can be paid by credit card; for other forms of payment, print a Renewal Application Form and mail to the College with payment and proof of insurance. If the College has not received a registrant’s renewal application and payment by the deadline, in accordance with section 21 of the Health Professions Act, that registrant will be removed from the CDHBC register and may not practice dental hygiene in B.C. until re-registered. The CDHBC Board may restore a former registrant to the register upon payment of renewal and reinstatement fees (see Schedule D).

Lower Mainland Election Reminder

Election ballot forms were mailed early this month to all registrants who reside in the Lower Mainland electoral district. Completed ballots must be received in the College office by 4:00pm on Wednesday, February 8th. If you are a Lower Mainland registrant and did not receive the election forms, please contact the College.

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.

Clinical Examination:
Application Deadline Feb. 17

The next scheduled examination will be on March 17 - 18 (Saturday & Sunday), location to be announced when confirmed. Applications with payment in full must be received by Friday, February 17. For more information, click here.

ACCESS Winter 2011

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

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.