Ohio dental hygienist license
What Ohio requires to license a dental hygienist, what a licensed hygienist may do, and how to keep the license current, taken from Ohio State Dental Board. and state code pages.
| Licensing board | Ohio State Dental Board. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
|---|---|
| How to apply | Apply in writing, under oath, to the secretary of the Ohio State Dental Board on the board's prescribed form. Open the page Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Education | Graduation from a dental hygiene school accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation (or whose standards CODA recognizes and the board approves). Applicants must be at least eighteen years old. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| National written exam | Pass all parts of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination given by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Clinical exam | Pass all components, under conjunctive scoring, of one regional board exam: NERB, CRDTS, SRTA or WREB, as listed in the board's rule. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| State law exam | Yes. Every applicant must pass a board-approved jurisprudence exam on Ohio dental hygiene law and rules. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Fees | The examination fee is one hundred eighty-four dollars, regardless of the year the license is issued, beginning January 1, 2025. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Licensed in another state | Under Ohio's universal licensure law (Chapter 4796), the board issues a hygienist license to an applicant who holds a dental hygienist license in another state, or who has qualifying work experience or certification in a state that does not license hygienists. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Local anesthesia | Yes, under direct supervision of a dentist: block and infiltration anesthesia after a board-approved, CODA-program course (at least fifteen hours didactic and fourteen hours clinical), a written exam passed within eighteen months, and current BLS certification. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Nitrous oxide | Yes. After completing the required board training, a hygienist may administer (initiate, adjust, monitor, terminate) or monitor nitrous oxide-oxygen minimal sedation, one patient at a time, with the dentist present. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Supervision and direct access | Hygienists practice under a licensed dentist, who normally must be physically present. Exceptions: up to fifteen consecutive business days of dentist absence for hygienists with one year and one thousand five hundred hours of experience plus a medical emergencies course, board-approved programs, and the oral health access supervision permit. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Renewal | A license expires two years from the date of issuance and is renewed (registered) for additional two-year periods, with a biennial registration fee of one hundred forty-four dollars. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Continuing education | Twenty hours of continuing dental hygiene education per two-year renewal period. The required basic life-support course counts toward it. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Background check | Applicants for an initial hygienist license must comply with the criminal records check provisions of Chapter 4776 (sections 4776.01 to 4776.04). Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Interstate compact | Yes. Ohio enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, effective January 1, 2025. Source: codes.ohio.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
Rules and fees change. Confirm with Ohio State Dental Board. before you rely on them.
Licensed hygienists in Ohio earn a median $42.78 an hour ($88,990 a year). See Ohio pay by metro.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, all industries.
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