Seeking registration by passing the New Zealand Dental Hygiene Registration Examination

If you do not have a prescribed qualification, sitting the New Zealand Dental Hygiene Registration Examination (NZDHREX) could be one of the registration pathways available to you.  It is important to familiarise yourself with the entry criteria for the examination before enrolling. 

The steps for sitting the examination

The processes involved with the examination are shown above, with details for each step. A downloadable PDF version of the complete examination process is also available.

Examination period and attempts

You have three years from the date of first sitting the written examination, and a maximum of three attempts in total to pass both the written and clinical parts of the examination.

Examination fees

Examination fees can be accessed here.

Examination withdrawal fee 

If you cancel your application 40 working days before the examination date, then a partial refund of the fee may be granted on a case-by-case basis for limited circumstances, including medical conditions.

If you cancel inside the 40 working days, you will forfeit your application fee. If there are exceptional circumstances, we will work with you to re-schedule your examination.