Transforming and Supporting Patient Care - Health Professions ...

190Chapter 8 – Profession of Dental HygieneUnder the Dentistry Regulation of the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act(DPRA),dental hygienists may perform a number of specified acts in thepractice of dentistry under the supervision or direction of a dentist,including three that involve the use of drugs. These are:• Topical application of anticariogenic agents, and other materialsdesigned to assist in the prevention of caries.• Application of topical anaesthetics.• Topical application of desensitizing agents. 11As well, the DPRA authorizes pharmacists to sell drugs to dental hygienistsfor use in the course of engaging in the practice of their profession. 12Education and Continuing CompetencyTo practise in Ontario, dental hygienists must be registered with the CDHO.Registration criteria differ depending on where the applicant was trained.Graduates from a program accredited by the Commission on DentalAccreditation of Canada (CDAC) or by the American Dental AssociationCommission on Dental Accreditation (ADACDA) must successfully pass theNational Dental Hygiene Competency Examination to be certified by theNational Dental Hygiene Certification Board (NDHCB).A graduate from a non-accredited program must have completed a two-yearcourse of study that the CDHO Registration Committee considers equivalentto an accredited program. The graduate must have a certificate issued byNDHCB, or have successfully completed a provincial written certificationexamination approved by the Registration Committee of the CDHO as wellas a provincial clinical competency assessment approved by theRegistration Committee.In Ontario, accredited dental hygiene education programs are offered incommunity or private colleges, for which high school graduates are eligibleto apply. The Ontario training programs take 18 to 24 months to complete.Competencies assessed by the NDHCBFive of the 151 competencies assessed by the NDHCB examination relate tothe ability of dental hygienists to assess pharmacological actions andinteractions and the oral manifestations of pharmaceuticals. 13 Threecompetencies deal with implementation: the dental hygienist is examinedon the actions, interactions and oral manifestations of pharmaceuticals, anddemonstrates the application of dentinal desensitizing agents andpharmacotherapeutics, excluding fluoride. No competencies are testedrelating to administering a drug or substance by injection or inhalation.11Ontario Regulation 547, s.50.12Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.H4, s.118(3).13National Dental Hygiene Certification Board. Blueprint for the National Dental HygieneCertification Examination. 2005. Available: http://www.ndhcb.ca/files/blueprint_en.pdf.HPRAC Critical Links January 2009