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Connecticut Dental Hygiene — Requirements & Free Practice

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Dental Hygienist License

License to practice dental hygiene in Connecticut issued by the Department of Public Health under CGS chapter 379a.

Licensing authority: Connecticut Department of Public Health · Application information

Annual license renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
At least sixteen contact hours of continuing education in the preceding twenty-four months, including infection control and cultural competency, attested on a department form (CGS 20-126l(g)-(h)); dental therapists complete six additional hours in dental therapy (CGS 20-126y(h)).
Registration
Annual registration during the birth month with payment of the renewal fee (CGS 19a-88(a)).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-01-01.

Licensure without examination by endorsement of an out of state license (CGS 20 126k)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Competency Certification
Certification of competency from the board of examiners of the state or territory of practice.
Education
Evidence of professional education not less than that required in Connecticut.
Fallback
If the Department determines the other state requirements are not equal to Connecticut requirements, the applicant must meet current Connecticut licensing requirements (the examination route).
No Pending Discipline
No pending professional disciplinary action or unresolved complaint.
Out Of State License
Holds a current, valid license in good standing in another U.S. state or territory whose admission requirements the Department determines to be similar to or higher than current Connecticut requirements.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-01-01.

Initial licensure by examination (graduate of an accredited dental hygiene program)

All of the following:

  • National Board Dental Hygiene Examination

  • At least one of the following alternatives:

    • All of the following:

      • ADEX Dental Hygiene Computer Simulated Clinical Examination (CSCE OSCE) (practice unavailable)
      • ADEX Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Treatment Clinical Examination (SPTCE) (assessment without a question bank)
    • CRDTS Dental Hygiene Patient-Based Exam (assessment without a question bank)
    • CRDTS Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Exam (practice unavailable)
Clinical Examination Agencies
The DPH page lists the accepted clinical performance examinations by testing agency: Commission on Dental Competency Assessments, Council of Interstate Testing Agencies, Southern Regional Testing Agency, Central Regional Dental Testing Service and Western Regional Examining Board. CDCA, WREB and CITA now deliver only the ADEX examination (American Board of Dental Examiners); SRTA merged into CRDTS and from 2026 only the CRDTS examinations are administered, so the SRTA examination is omitted as no longer offered.
Crdts Exam Choice
The DPH page names Central Regional Dental Testing Service without naming a specific CRDTS dental hygiene examination; CRDTS states that candidates must check with their state licensure boards which simulated patient exams are accepted for licensure.
Documentation
Official National Board score report and official report of successful completion of the regional clinical examination sent directly from the source; verification of every license ever held; online application.
Education
Diploma or certificate of graduation from a dental hygiene program of at least two academic years accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (or another national accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education), per CGS 20-126i(a); DPH requires an official transcript verifying the dental hygiene degree.
Examination Results Acceptance
Under CGS 20-126j the Commissioner accepts these national and regional examination results in lieu of the Department examination, subject to conditions the Department may prescribe; passing scores are prescribed by the Department.
Initial licensure by examination for graduates of a foreign dental school

All of the following:

  • National Board Dental Hygiene Examination

  • At least one of the following alternatives:

    • All of the following:

      • ADEX Dental Hygiene Computer Simulated Clinical Examination (CSCE OSCE) (practice unavailable)
      • ADEX Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Treatment Clinical Examination (SPTCE) (assessment without a question bank)
    • CRDTS Dental Hygiene Patient-Based Exam (assessment without a question bank)
    • CRDTS Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Exam (practice unavailable)
Clinical Examination Agencies
The DPH page lists the accepted clinical performance examinations by testing agency: Commission on Dental Competency Assessments, Council of Interstate Testing Agencies, Southern Regional Testing Agency, Central Regional Dental Testing Service and Western Regional Examining Board. CDCA, WREB and CITA now deliver only the ADEX examination (American Board of Dental Examiners); SRTA merged into CRDTS and from 2026 only the CRDTS examinations are administered, so the SRTA examination is omitted as no longer offered.
Clinical Training
Enrolled in a Connecticut dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and completed not less than one year of clinical training in an affiliated community health center under that program, per CGS 20-126i(b)(3).
Crdts Exam Choice
The DPH page names Central Regional Dental Testing Service without naming a specific CRDTS dental hygiene examination; CRDTS states that candidates must check with their state licensure boards which simulated patient exams are accepted for licensure.
Documentation
Official National Board score report and official report of successful completion of the regional clinical examination sent directly from the source; verification of every license ever held; online application.
Education
Graduated from a dental school outside the United States with the degree of doctor of dental medicine or surgery or its equivalent, per CGS 20-126i(b)(1).
Examination Results Acceptance
Under CGS 20-126j the Commissioner accepts these national and regional examination results in lieu of the Department examination, subject to conditions the Department may prescribe; passing scores are prescribed by the Department.
Licensure of an applicant licensed in another U.S. state for at least four years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Fees
Pays all fees required of other applicants.
Good Standing
All licenses in good standing, no revocation or discipline, no pending complaint or investigation, and no surrender while under investigation.
Out Of State License
Holds a current license in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction in dental hygiene.
Practice
Has practiced for not less than four years.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-01-01.

Reinstatement of a license that has become void (CGS 20 126l(k))

At least one of the following alternatives:

  • National Board Dental Hygiene Examination

  • All of the following:

    • ADEX Dental Hygiene Computer Simulated Clinical Examination (CSCE OSCE) (practice unavailable)
    • ADEX Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Treatment Clinical Examination (SPTCE) (assessment without a question bank)
Continuing Education
DPH requires upload of certificates of twenty-four hours of continuing education completed in the two years before the application, a recent photo and an updated resume.
Documentation
Verification of all licenses ever held and a letter from the most recent employer evaluating the ability to practice dental hygiene with reasonable skill and safety.
Dph Page Statement
The DPH reinstatement page states: "Note that applicants who have not been in the active practice of dental hygiene for more than two years are required to pass the the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination or the North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners Examination in Dental Hygiene during the one-year period immediately preceding the application for reinstatement."
Nerb Examination
The statute names the North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners Examination in Dental Hygiene; NERB became the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (DPH: "formerly NERB"), which merged into the American Board of Dental Examiners and delivers only ADEX examinations, so that slot is mounted as the ADEX Dental Hygiene Examination.
Refresher Course
A refresher course approved by the Department is a statutory alternative to the examinations for an applicant not in active practice for more than two years.
Statutory Alternatives
CGS 20-126l(k): (1) evidence of at least twenty-four contact hours of qualifying continuing education in the two years before the application; or (2) for an applicant not in active practice of dental hygiene for more than two years, evidence of passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, the North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners Examination in Dental Hygiene or a department-approved refresher course within the year before the application.

ADEX Dental Hygiene Computer Simulated Clinical Examination (CSCE OSCE)

Provider
American Board of Dental Examiners; Prometric delivery
Format
Computer-based clinically based questions
Exam questions
Up to 120 items; pilot questions do not affect the final score
Passing score
Minimum scaled score 75; results reported as Pass/Fail
Examination outline
  • Medical/Dental Assessment (12%)
  • Intra and Extra Oral Assessment and Charting (27%)
    • Intra and Extra Oral Examination
    • Dental and Periodontal Charting and Assessment
    • Soft Tissue, Bone, and Tooth Abnormalities
  • Radiology/Imaging (15%)
  • Dental Hygiene Care Planning (13%)
  • Patient Care (19%)
    • Periodontal Procedures
    • Infection Control
    • Medical Emergency Management
  • Dental Specialties and Pharmacology (14%)
    • Dental Specialties
    • Applied Pharmacology
Examination sources

ADEX Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Treatment Clinical Examination (SPTCE)

This assessment does not have a question bank.

Provider
American Board of Dental Examiners
Format
Simulated patient treatment on maxillary and mandibular typodonts
Passing score
75 or greater; results reported as Pass/Fail for this part
Examination sources

CRDTS Dental Hygiene Patient-Based Exam

This assessment does not have a question bank.

Examination sources

CRDTS Dental Hygiene Simulated Patient Exam

Examination outline
  • Extra/Intra Oral Assessment OSCE — 16 scorable items, 1 point each, 16 maximum points
    • Identify gross head and neck anatomy, variations of normal anatomy, palpation techniques used to examine head and neck extraoral and intraoral structures, and atypical or abnormal findings, whether pathologic or non-pathologic
    • Extraoral — Head, Face, and Neck: asymmetry, infected piercings, swellings, lesions
    • Extraoral — Lymph Nodes, TMJ: description of location, restricted opening
    • Intraoral — Oral Mucosa/Lips and Supporting Structures: lesions, chemical/physical irritations, tattoos, swellings, hematomas, nodules
    • Intraoral — Alveolar Ridge: lesions, chemical/physical irritations, exostosis, torus/tori, tattoos, swellings, hematomas, nodules
    • Intraoral — Palate and Oral Pharynx (tonsils and tonsillar pillars): torus, lesions, chemical/physical irritation, other significant findings
    • Intraoral — Tongue: hairy tongue, fissured tongue, loss of papilla, geographic tongue, glossitis, nodules, lesions
    • Intraoral — Floor of the Mouth: ankyloglossia, hematomas, lesions, tattoos, other significant findings
  • Calculus Detection — 12 scorable surfaces, 1 point each, 12 maximum points
    • Explore 12 random assigned surfaces on the maxillary arch and accurately record presence (Y/Yes) or absence (N/No) of calculus on each surface
    • The maxillary arch is for calculus detection only, not scaling; deposits detected on a line angle are marked on the closest interproximal surface
  • Scaling/Subgingival Calculus Removal — 12 scorable surfaces, 5 points each, 60 maximum points
    • Candidate selects the right or left mandibular quadrant during the initial online application; examiners evaluate 12 surfaces in the selected quadrant
    • Because evaluated surfaces are unknown, explore all subgingival surfaces in the selected quadrant and remove subgingival calculus so no deposits are detectable with an 11/12 explorer; detectable subgingival calculus is a scaling error
    • Supragingival deposit/stain removal is not part of this examination, so rubber cup polishing is not needed or required
  • Periodontal Probing — 12 scorable measurements, 1 point each, 12 maximum points
    • On two randomly assigned teeth in the selected treatment quadrant, chart simulated gingival sulcus/pocket depths within ±1 mm to the nearest mm on six aspects of each tooth: MF, F-midpoint, DF, ML, L-midpoint, and DL
    • Record periodontal measurements after scaling; direct facial and lingual readings are at tooth midpoint with probe parallel to root surface and long axis; interproximal readings place the shank against the contact point and tip slightly into the col; if no contact, place at proximal midpoint and record the same facial and lingual measurement; use light pressure to position the tip to sulcus depth
Examination sources

National Board Dental Hygiene Examination

Examination outline
  • Discipline-Based Component — Scientific Basis for Dental Hygiene Practice (61 items)
    • Anatomic Sciences
    • Anatomic Sciences — Anatomy
    • Anatomic Sciences — Anatomy — Head and neck anatomy
    • Anatomic Sciences — Anatomy — Dental anatomy
    • Anatomic Sciences — Anatomy — Dental anatomy — General anatomy
    • Anatomic Sciences — Anatomy — Dental anatomy — Root anatomy
    • Anatomic Sciences — Anatomy — Histology and Embryology
    • Anatomic Sciences — Physiology
    • Anatomic Sciences — Biochemistry and Nutrition
    • Anatomic Sciences — Microbiology and Immunology
    • Anatomic Sciences — Pathology
    • Anatomic Sciences — Pathology — General
    • Anatomic Sciences — Pathology — Oral
    • Anatomic Sciences — Pharmacology
  • Discipline-Based Component — Provision of Clinical Dental Hygiene Services (115 items)
    • Assessing Patient Characteristics
    • Assessing Patient Characteristics — Medical and dental history
    • Assessing Patient Characteristics — Head and neck examination
    • Assessing Patient Characteristics — Periodontal evaluation
    • Assessing Patient Characteristics — Oral evaluation
    • Assessing Patient Characteristics — General
    • Obtaining and Interpreting Radiographs
    • Obtaining and Interpreting Radiographs — Principles of radiophysics and radiobiology
    • Obtaining and Interpreting Radiographs — Principles of radiologic health
    • Obtaining and Interpreting Radiographs — Technique
    • Obtaining and Interpreting Radiographs — Recognition of normalities and abnormalities
    • Obtaining and Interpreting Radiographs — General
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Infection control (application)
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Recognition of emergency situations and provision of appropriate care
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Planning of individualized instruction
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Provision of instruction for prevention and management of oral diseases
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Provision of instruction for prevention and management of oral diseases — Dental caries
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Provision of instruction for prevention and management of oral diseases — Periodontal disease
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Provision of instruction for prevention and management of oral diseases — Oral conditions
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Anxiety and pain control
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Recognition and management of compromised patients
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Dental hygiene treatment strategies
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Dental hygiene treatment strategies — Diagnosis
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Dental hygiene treatment strategies — Treatment plan
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — Dental hygiene treatment strategies — Case presentation
    • Planning and Managing Dental Hygiene Care — Individualized patient education — General
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Etiology and pathogenesis of periodontal diseases
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Prescribed therapy
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Prescribed therapy — Periodontal debridement
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Prescribed therapy — Surgical support services
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Prescribed therapy — Chemotherapeutic agents
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Prescribed therapy — General
    • Performing Periodontal Procedures — Reassessment and maintenance (e.g., implant care)
    • Using Preventive Agents
    • Using Preventive Agents — Fluorides - systemic and topical
    • Using Preventive Agents — Fluorides - systemic and topical — Mechanisms of action
    • Using Preventive Agents — Fluorides - systemic and topical — Toxicology
    • Using Preventive Agents — Fluorides - systemic and topical — Methods of administration
    • Using Preventive Agents — Fluorides - systemic and topical — Methods of administration — Water fluoridation
    • Using Preventive Agents — Fluorides - systemic and topical — Methods of administration — Self-administered
    • Using Preventive Agents — Pit and fissure sealants
    • Using Preventive Agents — Other preventive agents
    • Providing Supportive Treatment Services
    • Providing Supportive Treatment Services — Properties and manipulation of materials
    • Providing Supportive Treatment Services — Polishing natural and restored teeth
    • Providing Supportive Treatment Services — Making of impressions and preparation of study casts
    • Providing Supportive Treatment Services — Other supportive services (e.g., tooth desensitization)
    • Providing Supportive Treatment Services — General
    • Professional Responsibility
    • Professional Responsibility — Ethical principles, including informed consent
    • Professional Responsibility — Regulatory compliance
    • Professional Responsibility — Patient and professional communication
    • Professional Responsibility — General
  • Discipline-Based Component — Community Health/Research Principles (24 items)
    • Promoting Health and Preventing Disease Within Groups
    • Participating in Community Programs
    • Participating in Community Programs — Assessing populations and defining objectives
    • Participating in Community Programs — Designing, implementing, and evaluating programs
    • Analyzing Scientific Literature, Understanding Statistical Concepts, and Applying Research Results
  • Case-Based Component (150 items involving 12 to 15 dental hygiene patient cases)
    • Cases present information dealing with adult and child patients and may involve geriatric, adult-periodontal, pediatric, special needs, medically compromised, and other patient types; a medically compromised patient is one whose health status may require modification of standard treatment or special consideration.
    • Patient information is presented by means of patient histories, dental charts, radiographs, and clinical photographs.
    • Assessing patient characteristics
    • Obtaining and interpreting radiographs
    • Planning and managing dental hygiene care
    • Performing periodontal procedures
    • Using preventive agents
    • Providing supportive treatment service
    • Professional responsibility
Examination sources