foreign dentist to dental hygienist

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Most US states require graduation from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene program, but a few let a foreign-trained dentist qualify for a dental hygiene license with their dental degree. Florida (s. 466.007, F.S.) accepts graduates of unaccredited dental schools who show four academic years of dental education and a DDS-comparable diploma through an ECE year-by-year evaluation, submit a passed NBDHE or National Board Dental Examination with the credentials application, and then pass the ADEX dental hygiene exam and the Florida laws and rules exam. Indiana opened a route on July 1, 2026, and Virginia's law took effect July 1, 2026, but the Virginia Board says no licenses can issue until its regulations take effect, estimated for late winter or early spring 2027. Connecticut accepts a foreign DDS only with exams plus a year of clinical training through a Connecticut hygiene program. North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and California do not offer the route. The NBDHE costs $600, the ADEX dental hygiene exam $1,150 plus facility and typodont fees, and the BLS median wage for dental hygienists was $98,100 in May 2025.