# Washington dental CE requirements

> Continuing education requirements in Washington: dentists 63 hours / 3 years, hygienists 15 hours / 1 year (annual), assistants Registered Dental Assistant: no CE requirement. (EFDA — Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary — must complete continuing education; verify current hour count with DOH.).

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

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Research confidence: high

Educational summary only, not compliance advice. CE rules change; confirm current requirements, approved providers, and deadlines with the Washington board before renewing.

## Role requirements

- Dentist: 63 hours / 3 years
- Dental hygienist: 15 hours / 1 year (annual)
- Dental assistant: Registered Dental Assistant: no CE requirement. (EFDA — Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary — must complete continuing education; verify current hour count with DOH.)

## 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

- Source 1: <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dentist/continuing-education>
- Source 2: <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dental-hygienist/continuing-education>
- Source 3: <https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-817-440>
- Source 4: <https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=246-815-140>
- Source 5: <https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/dental-assistant/licensing-information>

## Related

- [All dental CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/index.html.md)
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- [Washington online dental CE](https://dentovio.com/online-dental-ce/washington/index.html.md)
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