International dental hygienists · Foreign-trained dentist
Foreign-trained dentists: becoming a dental hygienist in Quebec at Go Dentiste
The NDEB process takes two to four years. A bridge lets a foreign-trained dentist become a dental hygienist in Quebec in one year, with a real income, extended autonomy and the possibility of continuing toward the dentist permit. Here is how, and how Go Dentiste supports you.
Your training and background from Quebec’s point of view
You are a dentist trained outside Canada and the NDEB process seems long or uncertain? Quebec created a bridge: the AEC ‘Dental hygiene for foreign-trained dentists’ at Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, 51 weeks (1,222 hours) full time, 32 seats per cohort, reserved for foreign-trained dentists who hold a partial equivalency notice from the OHDQ, a comparative evaluation from the immigration ministry, a passed French test and a status in Quebec (CSQ, permanent residence or citizenship). At the end of the program you register on the OHDQ roll and practise as a hygienist, with the extended autonomy of Bill 29, in one year rather than two to four. Many then continue the NDEB process while working as hygienists.
The bridge: the Saint-Hyacinthe AEC, step by step
- 1. Equivalency application to the OHDQ as a foreign-trained dentist (form and $402.41 fee): the committee compares your dental training with the DEC in dental hygiene; since the hygienist profession differs in several respects, you normally receive a partial equivalency notice specifying the competencies to acquire
- 2. Comparative evaluation of studies from Quebec’s immigration ministry and a passed French test
- 3. Admission to the AEC Dental hygiene for foreign-trained dentists (CCC.03 / CCC.04): in-person selection interview in Saint-Hyacinthe, 32 seats per cohort, required status (Quebec selection certificate, permanent residence or citizenship) and health insurance card
- 4. 51 weeks full time (1,222 hours, variable schedule, days and evenings, Monday to Sunday), with PAFFARC financial aid possible
- 5. Registration on the OHDQ roll at the end of the program, proof of French, permit and registration fees
Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe is in Montérégie, an hour from our clinics; the next cohort is announced on the continuing education site. At Go Dentiste you can work as a dental assistant before and during the process, then as a hygienist as soon as you are registered, while pursuing, if you wish, the NDEB process toward the dentist permit: our International dentists page describes that second route.
French: the OQLF exam and the temporary permit
Every OHDQ permit requires appropriate French proficiency. Since your studies were not in French, you take the OQLF French examination (oral and written comprehension and expression). If the Order declares you competent first, it may issue a one-year temporary permit, renewable up to three times, which lets you practise while you prepare. Our clinics are bilingual: you practise your French every day with the team and a largely bilingual clientele.
Status and immigration
The AEC requires a status in Quebec (selection certificate, permanent residence or citizenship): it is aimed first at dentists already here or being selected. If you are still abroad, permanent selection goes through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (Arrima), where French weighs heavily; a temporary work permit as a dental assistant (LMIA and CAQ) is also conceivable to start with us. This is general information: validate your plan with IRCC, Quebec’s immigration ministry or a regulated consultant.
What Go Dentiste offers you
- A dental assistant or clinical coordinator position right now, if your permit is not yet issued: income, software, RAMQ, the Canadian Dental Care Plan, sterilization to standard, and a team that knows you the day you are registered
- A team of hygienists and seven general dentists to integrate you: autonomy respected (Bill 29), second opinion available, continuing education encouraged
- An operations director who coordinates the employer steps (job offer, simplified-processing LMIA, documents for the CAQ and permit)
- Three new clinics in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield (2025, open 7 days a week), Vaudreuil-Dorion (2026, open Monday to Friday) and Saint-Zotique (2027): day shifts, plus Tuesday evening or weekend shifts in Valleyfield, full or part time
- A region 45 minutes from Montreal where housing remains affordable, and a bilingual clientele to progress in French without pressure
How to start
Write to Maryse Milton, director of clinical operations, at maryse@go-dentiste.com or 514 561-5399, stating your country of training, your diploma and the step you have reached (OHDQ application filed or not, French, status). We answer with a concrete plan: a position possible now, employer steps, and a realistic timeline to the permit. The dental hygienist position and the dental assistant position describe our conditions.
Why become a hygienist if I am a dentist?
To practise legally in Quebec in one year rather than two to four, with a professional income, extended autonomy under Bill 29, and time to pursue, if you wish, the NDEB process toward the dentist permit.
Do I already need to be in Quebec?
The AEC requires a Quebec selection certificate, permanent residence or citizenship, a health insurance card and an in-person interview: yes, in practice.
Can I work in a clinic before I have my OHDQ permit?
Yes, in a role that includes no act reserved to hygienists: chairside assisting, coordination, sterilization, team training. The dental assistant title is not regulated in Quebec; only taking radiographs requires recognized training.
Do my years of experience count?
Yes: in your file with the Order (they can justify exemptions from compensatory measures) and with us, for your integration, schedule and pay.
Go further
- All countries: international dental hygienists at Go Dentiste
- Dental hygienist jobs at Go Dentiste
- Dental assistant jobs
- Career guide: hygienist autonomy (Bill 29)
- Career guide: dental hygienist salary in Quebec
- Career guide: foreign diplomas and equivalencies
- International dentists: practising in Quebec
Official sources
- Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe — AEC in dental hygiene for foreign-trained dentists
- Gouvernement du Québec — Bridging training in dental hygiene offered in Saint-Hyacinthe
- OHDQ — People trained in dental hygiene or dentistry outside Quebec
- Regulation respecting diploma and training equivalence standards (OHDQ), Légis Québec
- OQLF — Professional orders: French proficiency and examination
- Gouvernement du Québec — Authorizations to hire a temporary foreign worker (LMIA, CAQ, permit)
- Gouvernement du Québec — Skilled Worker Selection Program (Arrima)
- Gouvernement du Québec — Dental hygienists: wages and outlook (IMT)
General information written by the Go Dentiste team from official websites consulted in September 2026 (OHDQ 2026-2027 fees and timelines); the texts of the Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec, the OQLF, IRCC and Quebec’s immigration ministry prevail. Neither legal nor immigration advice.
Content prepared by the Go Dentiste team (Dr Dominic Morel-Maynard, general dentist and owner). Last updated: September 25, 2026. General information for guidance only: only an in-clinic exam can establish a diagnosis and a treatment plan suited to your situation.