How to Become a Dental Hygienist in Ohio - OH

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January 10th, 2010

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the profession of dental hygienist is one of the fastest growing professions and the field is expected to grow 30% up through the year 2016.

The Ohio State Dental Board is the regulatory body that monitors the practicing of dental hygienists in Ohio. A few of the tasks that the board does with regard to licensing is overseeing the whole process of licensing as well as reviewing incoming applications and ensuring that applicants have met all education and examination requirements.

For any questions regarding licensure contact the Ohio State Dental Board at:

Ohio State Dental Board
77 South High Street, 18th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6135
Telephone: (614) 466-2580
Fax: (614) 752-8995
Website: www.dental.ohio.gov

There are some prerequisites a person must have in order to apply for a license in Ohio to become a dental hygienist. They include:

The applicant must be at least 18-years-old.
The applicant must also follow the rules below.

To become a dental hygienist in Ohio with a license, the applicant needs to take the following steps:

Send to the Ohio State Dental Board a filled-out application and fee.
Provide proof that they graduated from a school that is accredited for dental hygiene and has a seal on it, to the Ohio State Dental Board.
Send in what is referred to as a final report card from the National Board of Dental Examiners. Information on National Board Dental Examinations can be found through the American Dental Association (ADA) at:

The applicant must submit to a criminal background check and submit results to the Board. The Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation will conduct the background check. The website to visit to find out how to obtain a background check is http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Services/Business/WebCheck. There are fees associated with this that go to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, the FBI, and there may be fees that are required for fingerprinting. It is a slower process for fingerprinting for out-of-state residents.
If the applicant had previously held a license as a dental hygienist in another state, that person needs to send in a Certificate of Good Standing from that state and from every state they were previously licensed in, with a seal.
A certification with a seal on it, from a dental hygienist college that the applicant attended, must be included with the application.
The application must also include a statement from a physician that an examination was conducted within the past six months.
A notarized affidavit must also be included with the application.
If the applicant had been a member of local dental societies or associations in the previous five years, letters of recommendations from each of those needs to be sent to the Board.
Proof needs to be provided as to having received inoculation against the hepatitis B virus.
Applicants also have to take and successfully pass a written exam. This exam is on the Dental Practice Act, Chapter 4715 and is part of the Ohio Revised Code. Please see www.dental.ohio.gov and follow the link to jurisprudence exams.
Submit a passport-like photo with the application.
Include the fee with the application. If the review will happen in an even-numbered year, submit $147.00 and if it happens in an odd-numbered year, submit $96.00.

Applications will be accepted for initial licensure as long as the applicant has done one of the following: either passed every part of a regional board exam (The choices are: North East Regional Board (NERB), Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS), Southern Regional Testing Agency (SRTA) and the Western Regional Examining Board (WREB)) or have had a license in good standing from another state for five years in either the armed forces of the United States, the public health department of the United States, or the veterans affairs department of the United States. All grades from the boards are required. If someone went to an unaccredited college outside of the United States, see the Ohio State Dental Board website for special rules of licensure.

Certain parts of the application must be notarized so read it carefully.

When a license is obtained, the license recipient will receive a wall certificate to display. A sponsor can also be a biennial sponsor, which must have been approved by the board for the current biennium period.

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