Dental license renewal

Tennessee dental license renewal CE requirements

For dental license renewal in Tennessee, dentists need 40 hours / 2 years and dental hygienists need 30 hours / 2 years. Dental assistants: Registered Dental Assistants: 24 hours / 2 years (at least 2 hours chemical dependency education). Applies to registered dental assistants.. CE cycle = two calendar years, January 1 of an odd-numbered year through December 31 of the following even-numbered year, preceding the renewal year (Rule 0460-01-.05). Mandatory topics: at least 2 hours in chemical dependency education for dentists, hygienists, AND registered dental assistants (per rule 0460-01-.05; note the statutory topic is worded 'chemical dependency' — some CE vendors describe it as controlled-substance/opioid prescribing). Dentists holding sedation/anesthesia permits need an additional minimum 4 hours in anesthesia/sedation within the 40. CPR: current CPR/BLS certification required, must be in-person with a hands-on skills exam. Live-vs-self-study cap: for dental hygienists, no more than 50% of the CE requirement may be earned from online/web-based courses (a live interactive webinar counts as in-person, not online). No general jurisprudence CE for renewal (jurisprudence is an initial-licensure exam). New licensees exempt during initial cycle. Records retained 3 years.