An official copy of the applicant's final report card from the National Board of Dental Examiners and a certificate of completion from a two-year program in dental hygiene approved by the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation is required. Twelve community colleges and universities in Ohio offer the approved curriculum. The community colleges are Columbus State, Cuyahoga County, Lakeland, Sinclair, Owens State and Lorain County. The universities are James A. Rhodes State College, Ohio State, Raymond Walters, Shawnee State, Stark State College of Technology and Youngstown State. Some Ohio vocational high schools offer an early start on the program with a partial school day-community college partnership.
According to the Ohio Dental Hygienists' Association, all dental hygienists must be certified by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association in CPR to renew their license or to work without a dentist physically present.
Ohio dental hygienists are required to pass a 20-question state law test called a jurisprudence exam on the Dental Practice Act and a four-part regional board examination; Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS), North East Regional Board (NERB), Southern Regional Testing Agency (SRTA) and Western Regional Examining Board (WREB).
License applications must include two clean background checks from the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Applicants must also have proof of hepatitis B immunity or have been vaccinated.
Dental hygienists must take 12 classroom hours of approved continuing education courses and qualified work or study every two years. Part of the continuing education hours can be earned through the study of papers or presentations and teaching assignments.
Hygienists who have been actively licensed in the military or another state for five or more of the most recent years are eligible to apply for Ohio licensure. Applicants must provide proof of licensure and letters of recommendation from any local societies or dental associations in which they are members.