*Last Updated - 3/15/2021
| State | Renewal Cycle | CE Requirements for Dentists | Notes | State Governing Agency | Online Limit |
| Alabama | Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama | ||||
| Alaska | A dental assistant’s restorative function certificate must be renewed biennially on or before February 28 of odd- numbered years | An applicant for renewal of a dental assistant restorative function certificate shall complete two hours of continuing education approved under 12 AAC 28.410(a) relating to materials or techniques used for restoration of teeth | Alaska Board of Dental Examiners Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing | ||
| Arizona | Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners | ||||
| Arkansas | Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners | ||||
| California | Biennal - last day of month of birth | All Registered Dental Assistants in the State of California who wish to maintain an active license are required to complete 25 hours of continuing education for license renewal. | Completion of the mandatory courses: 1. Basic Life Support (BLS) course provided by the American Red Cross (ARC), American Heart Association (AHA), or a provider approved by PACE or CERP. A maximum of 4 credits will be awarded for completion of this course. Online courses will not be accepted for the BLS requirement. The course must include a live, in-person skills practice session, a skills test and a written examination. 2. California Infection Control* – This course must be 2-units and be taken through a Registered Provider approved by the Board to offer this mandatory course. 3. California Dental Practice Act* – This course must be 2-units and be taken through a Registered Provider approved by the Board to offer this mandatory course. | Dental Board of California | |
| Colorado | Colorado Dental Board | ||||
| Connecticut | Connecticut State Dental Commission Department of Public Health | ||||
| Delaware | Delaware Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene | ||||
| District of Columbia | District of Columbia Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Florida | Florida Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Georgia | Georgia Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Hawaii | Hawaii Board of Dentistry Professional and Vocational Licensing Division | ||||
| Idaho | Idaho Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Illinois | Illinois Department of Professional Regulation | ||||
| Indiana | Indiana State Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Iowa | The registration of all dental assistants expires on August 31 of each odd-numbered year | Dental Assistants: 20 Hours required every 2 years | • CPR Required for renewal – can claim up to 3 hours • Infection Control - Must complete a minimum of 1 hour every 2 years in the area of infection control standards as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. • Iowa Jurisprudence - Must complete a minimum of 1 hour every 2 years • Abuse Identification and Reporting Training -Effective July 1, 2019, licensees and registrants who practice in Iowa, must complete training through the Department of Human Services and renew the training every 3 years thereafter. Prior to July 1, 2019, the training was valid for 5 years. • 2 hours for dental assistants with an added qualification in dental radiography. | Iowa Dental Board | |
| Kansas | Kansas Dental Board | There is no limit on the number of CE hours that may be taken online. | |||
| Kentucky | Kentucky Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Louisiana | Louisiana State Board of Dentistry | ||||
| Maine | The license term begins the day the license is issued and ends in five years on the last day in the month in which the license was issued | Expanded Function Dental Assistants: Fifty (50) Credit Hours Required for License Renewal | • Current CPR certification | Maine Board of Dental Practice | No more than ten (10) credit hours can be claimed for Distance learning without exit examination |
| Massachusetts | Dental assistants must have their CEUs completed by October 31st in odd-numbered years | Dental assistants must complete a minimum of 12 CEUs each 2-year renewal cycle | Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry | ||
| Michigan | Dentistry licenses expire every 3 years | Every dental hygienist and dental assistant is required to complete, during the 3-year period prior to the date of application for renewal of the license, not less than 36 hours of continuing education | All dental hygienists and dental assistants, beginning with the 2020 renewal cycle, and all renewal cycles thereafter, are required to have completed training in identifying victims of human trafficking. Please note this is a one-time training that is separate from continuing education. Must complete 2 hours of board approved continuing education in pain and symptom management related to the practice of dentistry. CE hours may include, but are not limited to, courses in behavior management, psychology of pain, pharmacology, behavior modification, stress management, clinical applications, and drug interactions. Must possess current certification in basic or advanced cardiac life support | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regularoty Affairds Michigan Board Of Dentistry | |
| Minnesota | The initial cycle for each licensee begins on the date of initial licensure and ends on the last day of the licensee's birth month in either an even-numbered or odd-numbered year that corresponds with the licensee's year of birth. A biennial professional development cycle coincides with the biennial licensure periods for each dentist, dental therapist, dental hygienist, or licensed dental assistant. Each biennial renewal cycle consists of a 24-month period beginning on the first day of the month following expiration of the previous professional development cycle. | Licensed Dental Assistants must complete 25 total hours every 2 years (15 Minimum Fundamental Hours and 10 max Elective Hours) | Licensees must maintain continuous CPR certification. Course must be a healthcare provider level course (BLS) taken through only the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. Each licensee must complete an infection control course during each biennial cycle period. The self-assessment is based on the core subject areas. This activity is required for each biennial cycle and is worth one (1) fundamental credit. | Minnesota Board of Dentistry | |
| Nebraska | On or before March 1 of each odd-numbered year, a licensed dental assistant must complete continuing education | Each licensed dental assistant holding an active license must complete at least 30 hours of acceptable continuing education hours during the preceding 24-month period | A minimum of 2 hours in a renewal period must be obtained in infection control continuing education A minimum of 2 hours in a renewal period must be obtained in each area for which a licensee holds an expanded function permit |
Nebraska Board of Dentistry | |
| New Jersey | Regardless of the date that you earned your own license, all RDA licenses expire on December 31st of every even year | All registered dental assistants and limited registered dental assistants in orthodontics shall submit a certification verifying the completion of 10 hours of continuing education every two years at the time of registration renewal | New Jersey State Board of Dentistry | ||
| New Mexico | After the initial license period, licenses expire every three years on June 30 | Dental Assistants: 30 hours of continuing education are required during each triennial renewal cycle Expanded Function Dental Auxilliary: 36 hours of continuing education are required during each triennial renewal cycle |
3 hour Radiation Health & Safety (RHS course) At least 1 hour of INFECTION CONTROL Current CPR/BLS (cannot be on-line) |
New Mexico Board of Dental Health Care | |
| North Dakota | Renewal deadline for all registered dental assistants is December 31 of EVEN numbered years | Registered Dental Assistants are required to take 16 hours of continuing education during each biennial renewal cycle | A cardiopulmonary resuscitation course; webinar CPR courses must have a hands-on component. A minimum of two hours of infection control education. A minimum of two hours of ethics and/or jurisprudence. General anesthesia and moderate or minimal sedation permit holders must include four hours related to sedation or anesthesia. Registered dental assistants and dental hygienists holding a permit for Dental Anesthesia Assistant or Restorative Functions must include two hours related to the permit. |
North Dakota Board of Dental Examiners | |
| Ohio | Each person who is certified as a dental assistant radiographer shall on or before the first day of January of each odd-numbered year, register with the state dental board | Dental assistant radiographers are required to obtain continuing education 2 hours of CE in order to renew their Ohio licenses | At least two hours of continuing education in radiation technology | Ohio State Dental Board | |
| Oklahoma | Effective January 1, 2020 the CE hours will be changing to the following: The reporting period is changing from a 3 year reporting period to a 2 year. The current reporting period is July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021 |
OMS assistants shall complete eight (8) hours | Dental assistants shall have two (2) hours of infection control | Oklahoma Board of Dentistry | |
| Pennsylvania | Licenses expire on March 31 of each odd-numbered year, regardless of the date of issuance | An Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) shall complete 10 hours of continuing education credit hours during the preceding biennial period | Expanded Function Dental Assistants shall complete 3 of the 10 required hours of continuing education in the area of coronal polishing | Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry | |
| Rhode Island | Effective beginning in the calendar year 2006, every dentist, dental hygienist, or DAANCE-certified maxillofacial surgery assistant licensed to practice within the state of Rhode Island, on or before the first day of May in each even numbered year, shall apply to the Rhode Island board of examiners in dentistry for a biennial license with the board | Certified maxillofacial surgery assistant licensees shall obtain a total of twenty (20) continuing education credits every two years | All DAANCE-certified maxillofacial surgery assistants practicing in a dental setting shall receive a minimum of one (1) hour per year of training on the CDC Infection Control Guidelines All DAANCE-certified maxillofacial surgery assistants practicing in a dental setting shall hold a current certificate of completion of an approved course in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) for the Healthcare Provider that includes a hands-on skill component and conforms to the current American Heart Association Guidelines Update for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) offered by any accredited agency approved by the Board. |
Rhode Island Board of Examiners in Dentistry | |
| South Carolina | Continuing education (CE) is a requirement of renewal per S.C. Regulation 39-5(F). Licensees renewing for the first time are exempt from the CE requirements. Current CE cycle is January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022 | All dental technician will need eight (8) hours of continuing education (CE) completed for biennial renewal | South Carolina Board of Dentistry | ||
| Tennessee | Dental hygienitsts are required to complete continuing education during the two calendar year cycle (January 1 of an odd year - December 31 of an even year) | All registered dental assistants are all required to fulfill 24 hours of continuing education during the two calendar year cycle | Current CPR A minimum of 2 of the required 24 biennial hours must be obtained in the area of chemical dependency education |
Tennessee Board of Dentistry | |
| Texas | The expiration date will be based on the licensee's birth month and will be staggered to a biennial renewal affecting licensees due to renew by 10/31/2018 and there after | A dental assistant must complete twelve (12) hours of continuing education each year in areas covering dental assistant duties during each biennial period. | CPR | Texas State Board of Dental Examiners | |
| Vermont | Vermont Dental licenses expire every two years, on September 30 of odd-numbered years | All dental assistants shall as a condition of every registration renewal complete a course in emergency office procedures | Vermont Board of Dental Examiners | ||
| Washington | Expanded function dental auxiliaries must renew their license every year. Credentials expire on the credential holder’s birthday. | There are no continuing education requirements. | Washington State Department of Health |
