# Washington dental hygienist CE requirements

> Role-specific continuing education summary for dental hygienists renewing in Washington.

URL: https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/washington/dental-hygienist

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Research confidence: high

Educational summary only, not compliance advice. CE hour counts, approved-provider rules, audit rules, and mandatory topics can change. Confirm current instructions with the Washington dental board before filing a renewal.

## Direct answer

Dental hygienists in Washington: 15 hours / 1 year (annual). Renewal-cycle notes: DENTIST (WAC 246-817-440): 63 hrs every 3 yrs. Mandatory: 2 hrs health equity training every reporting cycle (per RCW 43.70.613, effective Jan 1 2024); one-time 3-hr suicide-prevention training (RCW 43.70.442, counts toward the 63). Dental jurisprudence exam counts as 1 hr. BLS/CPR: must maintain current healthcare-provider BLS. Self-study/online CAP: online self-study earns only 30 min of credit per hour completed (half credit); live courses/webinars earn full credit. HYGIENIST (WAC 246-815-140): 15 hrs ANNUALLY; maintain current healthcare-provider BLS card; one-time 3-hr suicide-prevention training; self-study capped at 5 hrs/yr while distance-learning (with assessment) has no cap. No dedicated infection-control CE hour count specified in rule. Confirm current role-specific requirements with the Washington dental board before renewing.

## Renewal cycle and mandatory topics

DENTIST (WAC 246-817-440): 63 hrs every 3 yrs. Mandatory: 2 hrs health equity training every reporting cycle (per RCW 43.70.613, effective Jan 1 2024); one-time 3-hr suicide-prevention training (RCW 43.70.442, counts toward the 63). Dental jurisprudence exam counts as 1 hr. BLS/CPR: must maintain current healthcare-provider BLS. Self-study/online CAP: online self-study earns only 30 min of credit per hour completed (half credit); live courses/webinars earn full credit. HYGIENIST (WAC 246-815-140): 15 hrs ANNUALLY; maintain current healthcare-provider BLS card; one-time 3-hr suicide-prevention training; self-study capped at 5 hrs/yr while distance-learning (with assessment) has no cap. No dedicated infection-control CE hour count specified in rule.

## Official board source

- <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dentist/continuing-education>

## References

- <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dentist/continuing-education>
- <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dental-hygienist/continuing-education>
- <https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-817-440>
- <https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-815-140>
- <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dental-assistant/licensing-information>

## Related

- [Dental Hygienist CE Requirements by State](https://dentovio.com/dental-hygienist-ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Washington dental CE requirements](https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/washington/index.html.md)
- [Washington online dental CE](https://dentovio.com/online-dental-ce/washington/index.html.md)
- [Washington dental license renewal CE requirements](https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/washington/license-renewal/index.html.md)
- [All dental CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dental CE hours tracker](https://dentovio.com/tools/ce-tracker)