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United States · Licensing exam

Dental hygiene board exam cost, eligibility and how to apply

The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) costs $600 in the 2026 Candidate Guide from the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE). That’s the dental hygiene board exam cost for the national written exam only, and clinical exams charge their own fees. You pay by card when you apply, through your Dental Personal Identification Number (DENTPIN) account with the American Dental Association. There are no set exam dates. Once you’re approved, you have six months to test and you pick a day with Pearson VUE.

  • 6 monthsTo test once your application clears
  • $25Pearson VUE’s fee to reschedule
  • 60 to 90 daysHow far ahead the JCNDE says to book
Apply through DENTPIN

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What does the dental hygiene board exam cost?

These are the fees in the JCNDE’s 2026 guide, in US dollars. CODA is the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

ItemFee
Examination fee$600
Processing fee, non-CODA program$435
Results report, added later$55
Results audit$105
Eligibility extension, 45 days$150

The exam fee covers your results, up to three licensing jurisdictions you name when you apply, and your program if it’s CODA accredited. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

For 2027, the JCNDE’s June 24, 2026 meeting proposed keeping $600, $435 and $55. It said they’re subject to change and that final fees would be in the 2027 Candidate Guide. The same meeting extended its incentives for the Dental Hygiene Licensure Objective Structured Clinical Examination (DHLOSCE) into 2027, and some candidates also get a discount on the NBDHE through them.

JCNDE: June 24, 2026 report of major actions (PDF) ↗The DHLOSCE and its incentives →Results reports and audits →

Who can take the NBDHE

Your route depends on your education. In the guide, a nonaccredited school is one accredited by neither CODA nor the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.

  • Student in a CODA-accredited hygiene program: your program director, or a designee, certifies you’re prepared.
  • Graduate of a CODA-accredited program: send a copy of your diploma or a final transcript with the degree. Recent graduates who are retaking need this too.
  • Graduate of a US or Canadian program that wasn’t accredited: you qualify only if it was equivalent, shown by a letter from an accredited dental school dean or hygiene program director and a letter from the secretary of a US board of dentistry.
  • Credentials from a nonaccredited school: Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) must verify your transcripts in a General Report sent to the JCNDE. Get a DENTPIN before you order it.
  • Student at an accredited dental school: a letter from your dean saying you’ve completed the equivalent of a CODA-accredited hygiene program.
  • Dental student or dentist: you’re eligible if you meet the rules for the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE), unless you’re a graduate of a nonaccredited dental program enrolled in an accredited one.
ECE: Educational Credential Evaluators ↗INBDE eligibility for dental students →

How to apply and book your test date

  1. Create or retrieve your DENTPIN. If you’ve applied for or taken another dental exam, you may already have one.
  2. Read the Candidate Guide, and the arbitration agreement. Agreeing to arbitrate is a condition of taking the exam.
  3. Submit your application and pay. Your name must match your IDs exactly.
  4. Wait for the eligibility email from the JCNDE, and check your spam folder if it’s slow.
  5. Create a Pearson VUE web account if you’ve never had one.
  6. Book with Pearson VUE, 60 to 90 days before the date you want.

Applications are processed Monday to Friday in US business hours. The six months can be shorter if retake rules or program requirements limit it. If you need more time, you can buy one 45-day extension per application, as long as you have no appointment booked. Miss the window and you lose the fee.

JCNDE: Apply for the NBDHE ↗Pearson VUE: schedule your NBDHE ↗What a DENTPIN is →What the Candidate Guide covers →

Changing or missing your appointment

Reschedule or cancel with Pearson VUE, online or by contacting it, not through your local center. Do it by the business day before your test and at least 24 hours ahead. Pearson VUE charges $25 to reschedule, and sales tax may apply.

If you don’t show up, or you’re refused for arriving late, you lose all your testing fees and must apply again. For an emergency on the day, such as sudden illness or a death in the family, email testingproblems@ada.org with documents within five business days. An emergency before the day goes through Pearson VUE’s normal rescheduling.

Pearson VUE: National Board Dental Hygiene Examination ↗

Retake rules if you don’t pass

Each try needs a new application and fee. The 2026 guide sets these limits, and none of them can be appealed:

  • Wait at least 60 days between attempts.
  • Take no more than four attempts in any 12 months. After a fourth, your fifth waits until 12 months after the first of those four.
  • Pass within five years of your first attempt or within five attempts, whichever comes first. After that, you may test once every six months.

An attempt counts once you’re seated at the computer and have agreed to the confidentiality statement on screen.

What a failing report shows →Failure rates for retakers →Study options before a retake →The JCNDE’s timed practice test →

Testing accommodations

The JCNDE provides accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act for documented disabilities or medical conditions, if you ask before testing and are approved. Ask before or while you apply, through your DENTPIN account, with the Testing Accommodations Request Form and supporting documents. A typed evaluation from the past five years by a qualified healthcare professional is one accepted form.

Hold off on booking. You can only schedule once your eligibility email shows the approved accommodations, and they can’t be added to an appointment you already have. Book too early and you’ll have to cancel and pay a fee. Ask again with each application, though you don’t resend documents for the same condition. Questions go to testingaccommodations@ada.org.

Sources: JCNDE · Pearson VUE and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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