Short answer: DHA’s CBT Guideline lists Dental Hygienist (DEN5141) as 150 multiple-choice questions in three hours, including registration time, with a pass score of 55 percent. Eleven content areas are named without weights. Dental Assistant is a separate row at 60 percent, and the dental lab titles are listed separately again.
Is the dental hygienist exam the same as the dentist exam?
No. DHA lists the hygienist, the dental assistant and the dental laboratory titles as separate rows, each with its own code, pass score and content list. In DHA’s guideline they sit under allied health, not under dentists. Because the dentist pages on this site are written for the General Dentist title, hygienists should read their own row. Meddex is independent and is not connected to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or Prometric.
Key facts and where they come from
All official, read in DHA’s CBT Guideline (cover “Updated - Sep 2026”) on 15 and 16 October 2026.
- Dental Hygienist, code DEN5141: 150 questions, 3 hours, pass score 55 percent.
- Dental Assistant, code DAS5111: 150 questions, 3 hours, pass score 60 percent.
- Dental Lab Technician, code DLT5521, is 55 percent, and Dental Lab Aide, code DLT5522, is 50 percent, both 150 questions in 3 hours.
- The stated time includes registration and process introduction.
- The result is pass or fail only.
- DHA can change the content, format or pass score without updating the guideline.
What are the eleven hygienist content areas?
The guideline lists these headings for Dental Hygienist, with no weights.
- Basic Anatomy and Physiology.
- Biology, Physiology, and Oral Pathology.
- Management of Medical Emergencies and Medically Compromised Patients.
- Medical and Dental Histories.
- Communication Skills.
- Extra and Intra Oral Examination.
- Community Dental Hygiene.
- Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy.
- Professionalism and Ethics.
- Preventive Therapy.
- Patient Safety.
What stands out in the hygienist list?
Three things. First, clinical work is only part of the list: communication, professionalism, ethics, patient safety and community hygiene make up four of the eleven headings by our count, so they deserve real revision time. Second, one heading is about emergencies and medically compromised patients, which is a safety area that rewards a calm, ordered answer. Third, non-surgical periodontal therapy and preventive therapy are the hands-on areas, so expect questions on what to do and in what order, not only on terms.
This is our reading of the headings. DHA does not say how many questions each heading gets.
How do the dental titles differ?
Use the table to see the four support titles side by side. All four are 150 questions and 3 hours. They differ in pass score and in the content list, so do not assume that a hygienist and a dental assistant revise the same pages.
| Title | Code | Questions | Stated time | Pass score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienist | DEN5141 | 150 | 3 hours | 55 percent |
| Dental Assistant | DAS5111 | 150 | 3 hours | 60 percent |
| Dental Lab Technician | DLT5521 | 150 | 3 hours | 55 percent |
| Dental Lab Aide | DLT5522 | 150 | 3 hours | 50 percent |
What practice content is there?
Meddex has dentist questions written for the General Dentist title. We do not have a bank written for the hygienist, dental assistant or dental lab titles, and full mocks are not offered for dentists or allied titles. Some themes overlap, such as infection control, emergencies and ethics, so the free dentist practice questions may help with those topics, but they are not a substitute for your own list. See DHA exam for dentists for the General Dentist title and the dentist content areas for how that list differs.
How could you revise the hands-on areas?
For non-surgical periodontal therapy and preventive therapy, practise the order of steps, not only the terms. Write the sequence you follow for a patient from history to review, then ask at each step what could change it: a medical condition, a medication, a patient who is anxious. For emergencies and medically compromised patients, revise a short routine you can recite, since a calm, ordered answer is the safe one. For communication, practise explaining a plan in two plain sentences, because exam options often differ by tone and clarity as much as by clinical content.
What we do not know
Frequently asked questions
This article is general educational guidance, not official advice. Exam rules, fees and timelines are set by the Dubai Health Authority and the test provider and can change, so always confirm the latest details on their official channels. Review of Meddex content by named, licensed clinicians is not complete yet. See how we write and check our content.
Last updated .