QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 768)
Republic Act No. 768 is the “Philippine Dental Hygienist Law.” It regulates the practice of dental hygienists in the Philippines, including licensure, scope of practice, examinations, registration, and penalties for violations.
The Board of Dental Examiners created under Republic Act No. 417, as amended, is the examining and licensing board for dental hygienists.
The Secretary of the Boards of Examiners appointed under Act No. 4007, as amended by RA No. 546, also serves as Secretary of the Board of Dental Examiners for dental hygienists.
Members of the Board may receive compensation as a fee not exceeding five pesos per capita of candidates examined.
A person must hold a valid certificate of registration as a registered dental hygienist issued by the Board of Dental Examiners.
A dental hygienist may remove calcific deposits, accretion and stains from exposed tooth surfaces; perform surface application of medicaments to prevent/control dental caries; perform helpful duties in reception and patient care; assist in sterilization of instruments; and render assistance to the dentist at the chair or laboratory.
Dental hygienists must work under supervision of a registered dentist. Dentists, schools, public institutions, and commercial firms may employ registered dental hygienists, but nothing authorizes them to perform any work in the mouth without direct supervision of a licensed dentist.
They are held on the second Tuesday of June and December each year, in Manila or other places deemed necessary and expedient by the Board.
An applicant must be a Philippine citizen; at least 18 years old; of good moral character and reputation; physically fit and not suffering from any contagious disease; have completed a standard four-year high school nurse (or equivalent) in a government-recognized school; and have graduated as a Graduate Dental Hygienist (G.D.H.) or equivalent after completing a dental hygienist course of at least two years in an approved, legally incorporated and government-accredited institution.
Chemistry, physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, histology, bacteriology, radiography, principles of nursing and first aid, hygiene and preventive, dentistry, dental health education, ethics and economics, dental assisting, and such other subjects as the Board deems necessary—plus a performance test covering the field of dental hygienists.
A candidate must obtain a general rating of 75% in both the written test and the performance test, with no rating below 60% in any subject or practical exercise.
Within 120 days after the examination, the Board must report the results to the Commissioner of Civil Service, who shall recommend them to the President for approval.
It must show the registrant’s full name, have a serial number, and be signed by members of the Board and attested by the Secretary. It remains in force until the annual registration fee becomes due and thereafter as long as the holder complies with the annual registration fee requirement.
The grounds and procedures for refusal to issue, revocation, suspension, reissuance of revoked certificates, and replacement of lost ones are the same as those provided in the Dental Law for dentists’ certificates of registration.
Penalized acts include practicing without proper license/registration and health certificate executed at least once a year by a government medical officer; using another person’s certificate; giving false/forged evidence; impersonating a registrant; using a revoked/suspended certificate; falsely assuming/advertising titles implying one is a dental hygienist without valid registration; and violating any provision of the Act.
Upon conviction, the offender faces a fine of not less than ₱1,000 nor more than ₱5,000 or imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five years, or both, at the court’s discretion.
The Board may suspend or revoke the dentist’s license if the dentist permits a dental hygienist under his supervision to perform operations in the patient’s mouth other than those permitted under RA 768.
Exam fee: ₱30; registration fee: ₱10; annual registration fee: ₱2; and duplicate certificate fee: ₱10.