Free DHA Dental Hygienist mock test
12 original exam-style questions from our Dental Hygienist bank, timed at the exam’s own pace, scored against the 55% DHA pass mark. They span 8 of the 8 blueprint domains, so you will see exactly where you are weakest - free, no sign-up.
Sit 12 original exam-style questions at real exam pace
These are 12 original questions taken from our Dental Hygienist bank, spread across 8 of the 8 domains of the published blueprint. You get 72 seconds per question, which is exactly the pace of the real DEN5141 exam (14 minutes for 12). At the end you will see which domains you are weakest in, and the full worked reasoning for every question.
- 12
- questions
- 14:24
- time limit
- 55%
- DHA pass mark
A short diagnostic cannot predict whether you will pass - only the real exam does that. It will show you, honestly, where you currently stand.
What the real Dental Hygienist licensing exam looks like
Candidates for a Dental Hygienist licence in the UAE sit a computer-based multiple-choice examination - DHA exam code DEN5141, delivered through Prometric for DHA, MOHAP and SHA, and through Pearson VUE for DOH Abu Dhabi. The DHA pass mark is 55% (DHA CBT Guideline, Sep 2026); other authorities set their own, so confirm yours before booking. The result is reported to you as pass or fail only - your score is never released.
Pass marks at a glance: DHA exam codes and pass marks for all written exams in one sourced table.
The paper is built to a published blueprint, which is why a domain-by-domain diagnostic is more useful than a raw percentage. Your questions above were drawn from across Cariology and Preventive Dentistry, Community Oral Health, Special Care and Ethics, Dental Radiography, Infection Control and Occupational Safety and 4 more - the same areas the real paper weights.
Before you can book the exam at all you need Dataflow primary source verification of your degree, licence and experience, which typically runs several weeks. Candidates routinely underestimate this and end up sitting the exam sooner after study than they planned. Check where you stand with our free eligibility checker or confirm whether your title even requires an exam using the Prometric exam checker.
You get three attempts in total across all UAE authorities - not three each - under the Unified Professional Qualification Requirements. At roughly AED 880 per attempt, plus the licensing delay each failure adds to your visa and start date, the cost of going in underprepared is not really the exam fee.
What is on the Dental Hygienist exam: the full blueprint
The published blueprint splits into 8 domains and 55 testable sub-topics. The diagnostic above samples across them, which is why its breakdown maps onto the structure the real paper is built from.
- Oral Anatomy, Histology and Physiology~10%6 topics
- Periodontology~15%8 topics
- Cariology and Preventive Dentistry~15%7 topics
- Periodontal Instrumentation and Clinical Procedures~15%8 topics
- Dental Radiography~10%6 topics
- Pharmacology, Local Anaesthesia and Medical Emergencies~12%7 topics
- Infection Control and Occupational Safety~13%7 topics
- Community Oral Health, Special Care and Ethics~10%6 topics
- Questions
- 150 multiple-choice (DHA DEN5141)
- Duration
- 3 hours, including registration
- DHA pass mark
- 55% - reported as pass or fail only
Figures for the DHA exam, from the DHA CBT Guideline, Sep 2026. DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP, NHRA and OMSB set their own length, timing and pass mark. See the DHA exam guide and pass marks for every DHA exam.
A worked Dental Hygienist exam question
Every question in the diagnostic and in the paid bank is written to this standard: a clinical stem, four plausible options and the reasoning for the answer, with its source.
Cariology and Preventive Dentistry
Which fluoride concentration is recommended in toothpaste for routine caries prevention in adults?
- A1350 to 1500 ppmCorrect
- B250 to 500 ppm
- C2800 to 5000 ppm
- D22,600 ppm
Why: Standard adult toothpaste contains 1350 to 1500 ppm fluoride. Pastes of 2800 or 5000 ppm are prescribed for high caries risk, and 22,600 ppm is the concentration of fluoride varnish.
Source: Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention, 4th ed. 2021
Dental Hygienist sample questions with answers
4 more original exam-style Dental Hygienist questions, worked in full. They are not real or recalled exam questions, and none of them is in the diagnostic above, so sit that first if you have not.
Question 1 · Community Oral Health, Special Care and Ethics
What concentration of fluoride is currently recommended by the US Public Health Service for community drinking water?
- A0.1 mg/L
- B0.7 mg/L
- C1.5 mg/L
- D4.0 mg/L
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. 0.7 mg/L
Since 2015 the recommended level is 0.7 mg/L, balancing caries prevention with risk of dental fluorosis. 1.5 mg/L is the WHO guideline maximum, and 4.0 mg/L is the US EPA enforceable maximum.
Reference: US Public Health Service Recommendation for Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water 2015
Question 2 · Infection Control and Occupational Safety
What is the maximum recommended heterotrophic bacterial count in dental unit water used for routine non-surgical treatment?
- A50,000 CFU/mL
- B50 CFU/mL
- C5,000 CFU/mL
- D500 CFU/mL
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. 500 CFU/mL
Dental unit water should meet the drinking water standard of 500 CFU/mL or less of heterotrophic bacteria. Surgical procedures require sterile irrigant rather than unit water.
Reference: CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings 2003
Question 3 · Oral Anatomy, Histology and Physiology
How does the junctional epithelium attach to the tooth surface?
- ASharpey fibres inserted into cementum
- BInternal basal lamina and hemidesmosomes
- CGap junctions with odontoblasts
- DKeratinised cells bonded to enamel
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Internal basal lamina and hemidesmosomes
The junctional epithelium adheres to the tooth by an internal basal lamina and hemidesmosomes, forming the epithelial attachment. Sharpey fibres anchor the periodontal ligament into cementum and bone, not the epithelium.
Reference: Newman and Carranza's Clinical Periodontology, 13th ed.
Question 4 · Dental Radiography
Premolar contacts appear overlapped on a bitewing, hiding the proximal surfaces. Which adjustment corrects this?
- AShorten the exposure time
- BIncrease the vertical angulation
- CAim the beam through the contacts
- DMove the receptor further back
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Aim the beam through the contacts
Overlap results from incorrect horizontal angulation, so the beam must be aimed perpendicular to the receptor through the interproximal contacts. Vertical angulation errors cause elongation or foreshortening instead.
Reference: White and Pharoah's Oral Radiology, 8th ed.
How to use this diagnostic properly
- 1Sit it cold, once. Do not look anything up. A diagnostic you help yourself through tells you nothing. The number you get is only useful if it is honest.
- 2Read every rationale - especially the ones you got right. Getting a question right by elimination is not the same as knowing it. The worked reasoning is free above, whether or not you buy anything.
- 3Work weakest domain first. The breakdown orders your domains worst-first for exactly this reason. Studying what you are already good at feels productive and moves nothing.
- 4Re-sit under full exam conditions later. The real paper is far longer than this and stamina matters. Full-length timed papers are what the paid bank is for.