Role-specific CE reference
Dental hygienists in District of Columbia: Reported as 15 hours / 2 years by DC Dental Society summary; some CE-vendor sources state 20 hours / 2 years — value not confirmed against the official DCMR, treat as unconfirmed. Renewal-cycle notes: 2-year cycle; licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years (e.g., 12/31/2025). Common mandatory topics across dentists/hygienists/assistants: infection control 2 hrs; ethics 1 hr; cultural competency/LGBTQ 2 hrs. PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY: 10% of total required hours must be on DOH-designated public-health-priority topics (dentists 3 hrs; hygienists ~2-3 hrs). OPIOID/CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE: DEA/controlled-substance-registered dentists must complete 2 hrs on abuse/misuse of controlled substances and opioid prescribing. CPR required. LIVE/SELF-STUDY: as of the 12/31/2021 renewal all hours (incl. CPR) may be completed via approved online courses (no live minimum). NOTE: dentist figure (30 hrs) is well corroborated; hygienist (15 vs 20) and assistant (10) figures conflict across sources and were not verified against the official DCMR Title 17, so confidence is medium. Confirm current role-specific requirements with the District of Columbia dental board before renewing.
Requirement summary
Last verified 2026-07-08. Research confidence: medium.
2-year cycle; licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years (e.g., 12/31/2025). Common mandatory topics across dentists/hygienists/assistants: infection control 2 hrs; ethics 1 hr; cultural competency/LGBTQ 2 hrs. PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY: 10% of total required hours must be on DOH-designated public-health-priority topics (dentists 3 hrs; hygienists ~2-3 hrs). OPIOID/CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE: DEA/controlled-substance-registered dentists must complete 2 hrs on abuse/misuse of controlled substances and opioid prescribing. CPR required. LIVE/SELF-STUDY: as of the 12/31/2021 renewal all hours (incl. CPR) may be completed via approved online courses (no live minimum). NOTE: dentist figure (30 hrs) is well corroborated; hygienist (15 vs 20) and assistant (10) figures conflict across sources and were not verified against the official DCMR Title 17, so confidence is medium.
Use the state board source before filing a renewal or choosing CE courses. Dentovio is an educational summary, not the licensing authority.
Open District of Columbia board source