How to Become a Dentist or Dental Hygienist in Ohio

Licenses covered

• Dentist (DDS/DMD)
• Dental Hygienist (RDH)
• EFDA / Dental Assistant

Dental Board by the numbers

These figures are ours, not the board's — we computed them from the full State of Ohio licence file so you can see this board in context rather than one record at a time. Data as of September 2026.

Only 44.2% of the 99,749 licences this board has on record are currently active — the other 55.8% belong to people who retired, moved, changed careers, or simply let a credential lapse. That gap is the single best reason to verify a licence rather than assume a name in a database means somebody may practise today.

Most common licence types

When a licence from this board is not active, the most common reason recorded is expired (39,394 records), followed by retired (9,234). Our status dictionary explains what each label actually means.

1.71% of this board's licences carry a recorded board action (1,710 of 99,749), against about 1.6% across all Ohio professions. A board action covers everything from an administrative consent agreement to revocation, and it is cumulative over a licence's whole life — see how we measured that before reading much into it.

Computed by OhioLicenseCheck from the State of Ohio eLicense dataset (issued licences only; application records excluded). Refreshed daily.

Why choose this path

• Hygiene: near-top pay for a two-year degree, with flexible part-time options
• Dentistry: high income plus a real ownership path — most of Ohio remains private-practice friendly
• Steady, insurance-backed demand independent of economic cycles
• EFDA certification lets assistants expand scope and pay without a full new degree
• Two strong in-state dental schools and many affordable hygiene programs

Path to the license

1. 1

   Pick your track

   Dental assisting (fastest), hygiene (associate degree + NBDHE), or dentistry (bachelor’s + DAT + 4-year DDS/DMD).

2. 2

   Graduate from an accredited program

   CODA accreditation is the standard for all three tracks. For hygiene, compare clinical board pass rates between Ohio community colleges.

3. 3

   Pass national and clinical boards

   Dentists take the INBDE plus a regional/clinical licensure exam; hygienists take the NBDHE plus clinical. EFDA candidates complete a Board-approved expanded-functions program.

4. 4

   Apply to the Ohio State Dental Board

   Background check and application via eLicense. Renewals run on a two-year cycle with CE — a missed renewal sidelines you from clinical work immediately, so put it on autopilot with an alert.

Pay and outlook

BLS data puts general dentists’ national median in the $160,000s with owners often earning more, and dental hygienists in the high-$80,000s nationally; Ohio hygienists typically earn in the $70,000–90,000 range with hourly flexibility that suits parents and career-changers.

Both occupations project steady growth. See the BLS handbook links for current numbers.

Where Ohioans train

Schools listed are well-known examples, not endorsements — always compare accreditation, cost, and outcomes.

Official links & resources

• Ohio State Dental Board
• ADA / INBDE information
• BLS Outlook: Dentists
• BLS Outlook: Dental Hygienists