Path to RDH

Every exam and milestone on the way from applicant to licensed Registered Dental Hygienist, with the format, fee and content of each one as its owner publishes it. Each fact links to its source.

1. Getting into a program

• ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills), version 7 · $120
  Computer-based; 170 questions (150 scored, 20 unscored); 209 minutes; multiple choice, multiple select, fill in the blank, ordered response, hot spot
• HESI Admission Assessment (HESI A2)
  Computer-based; sections chosen by each school
• Admission Test for Dental Hygiene (ATDH) · $150
  Computer-based multiple choice; 240 items; 290 minutes total including tutorial, two optional 15-minute breaks and survey
• PSB Health Occupations Aptitude Examination
• Kaplan pre-admission exam (Kaplan Nursing Admission Test)
• ACT / SAT
  SAT: digital, adaptive, 2 hours 14 minutes. ACT: not confirmed.
• ACCUPLACER
  Untimed computer placement tests; no pass/fail
• Casper situational judgment test
  Online open-response; 2 sections, 11 scenarios; about 65 to 85 minutes with two optional breaks

2. In the program

• CODA required curriculum content (course milestones, not an exam)
  Accreditation standard 2-8; at least two academic years of full-time instruction (2-1)

3. National Board

• National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) · $600
  Computer-based; 350 multiple-choice items; discipline-based component (200) and case-based component (150); 7 h 30 min testing time, 9 h total appointment

4. Clinical exam

• ADEX Dental Hygiene Examination: Computer Simulated Clinical Examination (CSCE OSCE) · $1,150
  Computer-based at Prometric; up to 120 items (varies by form); item types: multiple choice, multiple response, extended match, drop down, fill-in-the-blank, hot spot, drag and drop
• ADEX Dental Hygiene Examination: Simulated Patient Treatment Clinical Examination (SPTCE) · $1,150
  Manikin (typodont) clinical exam at a host school; 2 hours; graded by three calibrated examiners
• CRDTS Dental Hygiene Examination (simulated patient / patient-based) · $1,175
  Simulated patient (manikin) exam with a written OSCE on a tablet; a patient-based format is also offered
• SRTA Dental Hygiene Examination (retired as a separate exam)
• Dental Hygiene Licensure Objective Structured Clinical Examination (DHLOSCE) · $575
  Computer-based OSCE, no patient or manikin; 150 questions in four sections; includes 3D models; 7 h 35 min total appointment; given in testing windows
• Delaware Practical Board Examination in Dental Hygiene
  State practical exam, offered in January (18 candidates) and May (36 candidates)

5. State requirements

• California RDH Law and Ethics Examination · $32.07
  Computer-based at PSI
• Florida Dental Hygiene Laws and Rules Examination · $105
  Computer-based; up to 64 multiple-choice items, up to 5 unscored
• Texas TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment
• Other state jurisprudence exams (examples)
• ADEX Local Anesthesia Examination (computer-based and clinical) · $140
  Computer-based multiple choice (discipline and case based) at a testing center; separate patient-based clinical exam (IA and PSA nerve blocks) where state law requires
• CRDTS Local Anesthesia Examination · $445
  Written exam plus patient-based PSA and IA injections
• ADEX Dental Hygiene Nitrous Oxide Examination · $135
  Computer-based, multiple choice

6. After you're licensed

• ADEX Dental Hygiene Restorative Examination · $460
  Typodont-based clinical exam
• California Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice (RDHAP)
  Additional license: California RDH license, 2,000 hours in the preceding 36 months, bachelor's degree or 120 semester units, 150-hour approved program, Law and Ethics exam
• Academy of Laser Dentistry Standard Level Certification · $645
  Three parts: online coursework; hands-on clinical simulation with clinical exam; online closed-book exam
• Dental therapy (separate profession some hygienists add)
  At least three academic years; credit may be granted for prior dental hygiene coursework. ADEX Dental Therapy Examination: computer DT OSCE plus clinical pediatric manikin and restorative exams