2.5 Dental Hygienist Licensure & Dental Radiographer Certification

Dental Hygienist Licensure — s. 466.007, F.S.

Eligibility to sit

An applicant is entitled to take the hygiene licensure examinations if the applicant:

• Is 18 years of age or older; and
• Education, by one of two routes:
  1. Graduate of a dental hygiene college or school approved by the Board or accredited by the ADA Commission on Accreditation or another program accrediting entity recognised by the U.S. Department of Education; or
  2. Graduate of a dental college or school accredited under s. 466.006(2)(b), or a graduate of an unaccredited dental college or school who has met the requirements of s. 466.007(3).

Route 2 is the pathway used by dentist-trained applicants — including many internationally trained dentists — who seek Florida hygiene licensure. Rule 64B5-2.0144, F.A.C., carries the licensure requirements for dental hygiene applicants from unaccredited dental schools or colleges.

Additional conditions by route — s. 466.007(2)(c)

For graduates of a hygiene program (route 1):

• Successful completion of the National Board of Dental Hygiene examination at any time before the date of application;
• Certification by the ADA Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations at any time before the date of application;
• Effective January 1, 1997, completion of coursework comparable to an associate in science degree;
• No discipline by a board, except for citation offences or minor violations; and
• No conviction of or nolo contendere plea to any felony or misdemeanour related to the practice of a health care profession.

For graduates of a dental school (route 2):

• Successful completion of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination or the National Board Dental Examination;
• No discipline by a board, except citation offences or minor violations; and
• No disqualifying conviction or plea.

Fees — s. 466.007(1)

As with dentists, the application is verified by oath and includes two recent photographs, and the examination fee may be refunded if the applicant is found ineligible to take the examinations.

Hygiene retake rules — s. 466.009(3)

These differ materially from the dentist rules and are a reliable examination item:

• Fail one portion of the practical or clinical examination → retake only that portion, provided the applicant reapplies within 12 months.
• Fail the prophylaxis → retake the entire examination, regardless of how well the other portions went.

Rule 64B5-2.0135, F.A.C., governs the Dental Hygiene Examination itself; Rule 64B5-2.021 addresses additional education requirements for reexamination.

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Dental Radiographer Certification — Rule 64B5-9.011, F.A.C.

Section 466.017(7), F.S., permits a licensed dentist to authorise or direct a dental assistant to operate x-ray equipment and expose films under the dentist's direction and supervision, pursuant to rules adopted by the Board ensuring the assistant is competent by reason of training and experience. Rule 64B5-9.011 is that rule. Note the rule chapter: 64B5-9 is Prescriptions for Dental Hygiene Services and Certification of Dental Radiographers — it is not the infection control chapter, which is 64B5-25.

Who may expose images

Rule 64B5-9.011(1): dental assistants may position and expose dental radiographic images only if they:

• have been certified by the Department as dental radiographers; or
• have graduated from a Board-approved dental assisting school or program.

The certification sequence

For an assistant who did not graduate from a Board-approved program, Rule 64B5-9.011(2) sets a specific order of operations:

1. Apply on form DH-MQA 1202, Dental Radiography Certification Application, and submit the nonrefundable fee prescribed by Rule 64B5-15.015, F.A.C.
2. Document at least 3 months of continuous on-the-job training assisting in positioning digital radiographic sensors and positioning and exposing dental radiographic images under the direct supervision of a Florida licensed dentist.
3. Document successful completion of a Board-approved course meeting Rule 64B5-9.011(3) within 12 months of completion of the on-the-job training.

The 12-month clock runs from completion of the three-month on-the-job training, not from the day the assistant first picks up a sensor. Study material that describes a flat "12 months from beginning training" rule omits the three-month prerequisite entirely.

Required course content — Rule 64B5-9.011(3)

Only courses covering all of the following may be Board-approved: dental radiography practice and equipment; radiation biology and radiation safety techniques; hands-on instruction in positioning digital sensors and films using appropriate mannequins; radiographic anatomy; radiographic images, films and processing; intra-oral radiographic techniques; supplemental techniques of dental radiography; and infection control and sterilisation techniques.

Display

Rule 64B5-9.011(4): a dental assistant's certification as a dental radiographer must be conspicuously displayed to the public in any dental office where these services are performed — a parallel to the licence-display duty imposed on dentists and hygienists by s. 466.016, F.S.