Requirement summary
45 hours / 3 years (triennial)
Last verified 2026-07-08. Research confidence: medium.
Role-specific CE reference
Dental hygienists in New Mexico: 45 hours / 3 years (triennial). Renewal-cycle notes: Triennial renewal, July 1–June 30 of every third year. Self-study cap: up to 30 hrs may be self-study for dentists (30 live), up to ~22.5 self-study for hygienists; max 8 CE hours creditable in a single day. Mandatory topics: CPR/BLS current at all times; infection control; NM jurisprudence (law/ethics) ~1 hr per cycle; and licensees with an active DEA registration must complete 3 hrs of CE on pharmacology and the risks of controlled substances (opioid/controlled-substance training) per renewal period. Hour totals (60/45/30) confirmed via the NM Regulation & Licensing Dept (RLD) board source; exact mandatory-topic hour allocations per profession are set in NMAC 16.5.10 (dentists), 16.5.23 (hygienists), 16.5.36 (assistants) — some topic-level specifics not individually verified from primary NMAC text, hence medium confidence. Confirm current role-specific requirements with the New Mexico dental board before renewing.
Requirement summary
Last verified 2026-07-08. Research confidence: medium.
Triennial renewal, July 1–June 30 of every third year. Self-study cap: up to 30 hrs may be self-study for dentists (30 live), up to ~22.5 self-study for hygienists; max 8 CE hours creditable in a single day. Mandatory topics: CPR/BLS current at all times; infection control; NM jurisprudence (law/ethics) ~1 hr per cycle; and licensees with an active DEA registration must complete 3 hrs of CE on pharmacology and the risks of controlled substances (opioid/controlled-substance training) per renewal period. Hour totals (60/45/30) confirmed via the NM Regulation & Licensing Dept (RLD) board source; exact mandatory-topic hour allocations per profession are set in NMAC 16.5.10 (dentists), 16.5.23 (hygienists), 16.5.36 (assistants) — some topic-level specifics not individually verified from primary NMAC text, hence medium confidence.
Use the state board source before filing a renewal or choosing CE courses. Dentovio is an educational summary, not the licensing authority.
Open New Mexico board source