Final acceptance of candidates for the examination will be contingent upon their being hygienists who are graduates of an American or Canadian Dental Hygiene College or Program accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Candidates who graduated from a school outside of the United States and Canada may apply and be considered for the “State-Only” examinations pending receipt of the appropriate state authorization. The candidate must furnish a letter from the State Dental Board of a state that accepts the results of this examination indicating that they are eligible for licensure in that state upon successful completion of the examination. In addition, a copy of the candidate’s diploma with an English Translation must be provided.

Candidates who have not formally graduated from their university are required to secure certification from their Dean stating:

• The candidate is eligible and in the last semester of the R.D.H. degree requirements.
• The candidate will complete the R.D.H. degree requirements within ten months of the examination date.
• The candidate has successfully completed local anesthesia requirements, if you plan to personally administer local anesthesia. This should include whether the candidate has been trained in infiltration techniques only or in both block and infiltration.

This certification must be in the form of a letter from the Program Director submitted with the application or provided to SRTA by the Program Director prior to the receipt of the candidate’s application.

Candidates are required to provide a copy of their diploma within ninety (90) days after their graduation date and/or the Dean/Program Director is required to submit a list of students who have graduated within that time frame. Failure to complete the degree requirements by the specified dates shall invalidate the examination results. For candidates who have not formally graduated, be mindful that they need to complete the R.D.H. degree requirements within ten months of the examination date. If Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc. does not receive the required diploma or letter from the Dean/Program Director, the Agency will notify each of the individual state boards that scores are null and void. The individual State Board’s of Dentistry determine the acceptance of nullified/invalid results. SRTA cannot grant extensions to the graduation requirements as mandated in our corporate documents.