Pennsylvania dental hygienist license
What Pennsylvania requires to license a dental hygienist, what a licensed hygienist may do, and how to keep the license current, taken from Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry (Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs). and state code pages.
| Licensing board | Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry (Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs). Source: pa.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
|---|---|
| How to apply | Apply online through the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) by selecting the State Board of Dentistry. Open the page Source: pa.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Education | Graduation from a dental hygiene school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) or a U.S. Department of Education recognized regional accrediting agency (associate's degree level). Source: pa.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| National written exam | Pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (written). Source: pa.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Clinical exam | Pass a dental hygiene clinical exam administered by ADEX, CDCA, CRDTS, CITA, SRTA or WREB. Source: pa.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Fees | Dental hygienist application fee is $154 effective July 1, 2025, rising to $168 effective July 1, 2027. Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Licensed in another state | Licensure by endorsement for hygienists holding a current, undisciplined license in a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent standards who practiced at least 2 of the 5 years before applying; 3 hours of child abuse recognition training also required. Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Local anesthesia | Yes, with a Board local anesthesia permit. Requires current BLS and either graduation from a CODA program with local anesthesia coursework or a CODA-sponsored course of at least 30 hours, within the prior 5 years, or a qualifying out-of-state permit. Administered only under direct supervision. Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Supervision and direct access | Scaling, root planing and polishing may be done under general supervision when the patient is free of or has mild systemic disease; direct supervision is required for patients with severe systemic disease and for local anesthesia. Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Renewal | Licenses are renewed biennially and expire on March 31 of each odd-numbered year, regardless of the date of issuance. Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
| Continuing education | 20 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal, including 2 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting. Source: pa.gov, checked 2026-10-29. |
Rules and fees change. Confirm with Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry (Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs). before you rely on them.
Licensed hygienists in Pennsylvania earn a median $38.76 an hour ($80,610 a year). See Pennsylvania pay by metro.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, all industries.
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