| Alabama | No state CE requirement for dental assistants (CPR required only for assistants aiding in oral conscious sedation; DANB-certified assistants follow separate DANB annual CE renewal). | Annual renewal; CE must be completed in the 12-month period Oct 1 – Sep 30. Dentists: no more than 1/2 of the 20 hours may be by self-study/analog or digital media, journals,... | Board |
| Alaska | No state CE requirement for dental assistants for renewal (coronal-polishing certificate renews Dec 31 of even years; DANB-certified assistants follow separate DANB annual CE renewal). | Biennial cycle; licenses expire Feb 28 of odd-numbered years and are renewed every two years. Per 12 AAC 28.400: dentists complete >=32 contact hours; hygienists >=20 contact hours (one... | Board |
| Arizona | No state CE requirement for standard dental assistants. Expanded Function (Restorative) permit holders must maintain certification and any CE tied to the permit; DANB-certified... | Triennial cycle; licenses now expire on the licensee's birthday. Dentists: 63 hours per 3 years, of which up to 21 hours may be self-study/online (and charitable) activities; mandatory... | Board |
| Arkansas | No general state CE requirement for dental assistants; radiography-permit holders must complete a board-approved radiography course before operating certain machines/renewing the... | Two-year reporting period. Per Article XIV (038.00.08 Ark. Code R. 002): dentists 50 CEUs, hygienists 40 CEUs per 2-year period. Mandatory: at least 1 CE hour on infection control each... | Board |
| California | RDA (Registered Dental Assistant): 25 units / 2 years. First renewal is CE-exempt. RDAEF/Orthodontic/Dental Sedation assistant permits follow the same DBC assistant CE rules. | Biennial cycle. Dentists (Dental Board of California): 50 units per 2 years including mandatory 2-unit Infection Control, 2-unit California Dental Practice Act, 2-unit course on... | Board |
| Colorado | No standalone CE-hours requirement for Dental Assistants; Expanded Duty Dental Assistants (EDDAs) must maintain current CPR/BLS certification and complete CE tied to their permits (no... | 2-year license period. Dentists/Dental Therapists and Dental Hygienists both need 30 CE hours per 2-year cycle. First-renewal proration: licensed <12 months = no CE; 12-24 months = 15... | Board |
| Connecticut | No general CE-hours requirement (CT does not license dental assistants broadly); dental assistants performing radiography must hold DANB radiation-safety certification, but no... | 2-year (24-month) cycle; 1 contact hour = 50 minutes. DENTISTS (25 hrs): must include at least 1 contact hour in each of (A) any three of ten Commissioner-designated topics, (B)... | Board |
| Delaware | Registered dental assistants (and limited registered dental assistants in orthodontics): 10 hours / 2 years, verified at registration renewal | 2-year cycle; licenses expire May 31 of even-numbered years (renewal period June 1 - May 31). Dentists/Dentist-Academic/Dentist-Community Health: 50 CPE hours. Dental Hygienists: 24 CPE... | Board |
| District of Columbia | Dental assistants: ~10 hours / 2 years per DC Dental Society summary (infection control 2 hrs, LGBTQ cultural competency 2 hrs, ethics 1 hr, public-health-priority hours, CPR/BLS 2 hrs);... | 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;... | Board |
| Florida | No CE requirement — Florida does not license or register dental assistants generally, and no CE is required (radiography/expanded-function certificates are training-based, not CE-hour based) | 2-year biennium; licenses expire February 28 of even-numbered years. DENTISTS 30 hrs, HYGIENISTS 24 hrs. Mandatory courses (count toward totals unless noted): 2-hr Prevention of Medical... | Board |
| Georgia | No state CE requirement (dental assistants/EDDAs are not separately licensed; EDDA requires one-time board-approved training, e.g. 12 hrs per Rule 150-9-.02, plus BLS-CPR if assisting... | Biennial (odd-year Dec 31 expiration). Dentists: 30 of 40 hours must be clinical science; at least 20 of the 40 hours must be earned in-person/on-site (Rule 150-3-.09(4)(d)) — i.e. up to... | Board |
| Hawaii | No state CE requirement (Hawaii does not separately license dental assistants) | Biennial, renewal not later than Dec 31 of each odd-numbered year (HAR 16-79-144). Newly licensed in first year of biennium: dentists owe 16 hrs; licensed in second year: 0 hrs. Clinical... | Board |
| Idaho | No state CE requirement in the board rule (dental assistants are trained and directly supervised, not separately licensed/registered by the Board; the rule imposes CDC infection-control... | Biennial. Per official IDAPA 24.31.01 sec. 100.06, an active-status licensee must report 30 oral-health/health-related CE hour credits per biennium (verifiable CE or volunteer practice)... | Board |
| Illinois | No state CE requirement (Illinois dental assistants are not separately licensed with CE obligations) | Triennial (3-year) renewal period; CE not required for the first renewal cycle after original license issuance. Correspondence/self-study cap: no more than 50% of required hours may be... | Board |
| Indiana | No state CE requirement (Indiana dental assistants are not separately licensed; radiology-permitted assistants and EFDA/CDA credentials carry their own certification-maintenance rules,... | Biennial, expiring March 1 of even-numbered years (current cycle: March 2, 2026 - March 1, 2028); no CE required for a dentist who has held an initial license less than 2 years.... | Board |
| Iowa | 20 hours / 2 years (Registered Dental Assistants) | Biennial. Mandatory (min 1 hr each unless noted): infection control; Iowa jurisprudence; CPR/BLS with hands-on clinical component (may claim up to 3 hrs); opioid training for dentists... | Board |
| Kansas | No state CE requirement (Kansas Dental Board does not license dental assistants) | Biennial (courses must be completed in the 24-month period immediately preceding license expiration). Dentists: min 2 hours in ethics; specialists must complete at least 40 of the 60... | Board |
| Kentucky | No state CE requirement (Kentucky Board of Dentistry does not license dental assistants) | Biennial. Dentist CE due by Dec 31 of odd-numbered years; hygienist CE due by Dec 31 of even-numbered years. At least 10 of the 30 hours must be live/interactive; at least 20 hours must... | Board |
| Louisiana | No state CE requirement (Expanded Duty Dental Assistants are certified via an approved EDDA course, radiology training, and current CPR, but no ongoing CE mandate is specified) | Biennial; licenses valid for two years, staggered by last name (A-L renew odd years, M-Z even years), expiring Dec 31; CE reported via CE Broker by Dec 31. Dentists: 30 hrs, of which 20... | Board |
| Maine | Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA): 50 hours / 5 years. Dental Radiographer (RAD): no CE hours, current CPR only. | Dentists and hygienists: biennial, 2-year fixed term (dentist CE cycle ends Dec 31 odd years; hygienist Dec 31 even years). EFDA and Dental Radiographer: 5-year staggered terms. Current... | Board |
| Maryland | No general dental-assistant CE license. Maryland instead certifies Dental Radiation Technologists, who need a 2-hour infection control course each renewal (plus one-time implicit bias).... | 2-year cycle running Jan 1 through Dec 31 of the following year; CE must be completed by Dec 31 of the year preceding the renewal year. Dentists & hygienists: 30 hrs. Mandatory each... | Board |
| Massachusetts | 12 CEUs / 2 years (licensed dental assistants). Individual-study (home/online/correspondence/audio/video) capped at 6 CEUs; non-clinical practice-related courses capped at 2 CEUs. Renew... | Biennial cycle (234 CMR 8.00). Dentists: 40 CEUs, completed in the 24 months preceding March 31 of EVEN years. Hygienists: 20 CEUs, preceding March 31 of ODD years. Dental assistants: 12... | Board |
| Michigan | Registered Dental Assistants (RDA): 36 hours / 3 years, same structure as hygienists — 2 hrs pain/symptom management, 1 hr ethics & jurisprudence (incl. delegation to allied personnel),... | 3-year cycle. Dentists (60 hrs): 3 hrs pain & symptom management, 1 hr dental ethics & jurisprudence (incl. delegation of duties to allied dental personnel), 1 hr infection control... | Board |
| Minnesota | Licensed Dental Assistants: 25 hours / 2 years (min 15 fundamental, max 10 elective) — same as hygienists. Dental therapists follow the 50-hr dentist track. | Biennial (24-month) cycle ending on the last day of the licensee's birth month in an even- or odd-numbered year (MN Rules 3100.5100). Dentists & dental therapists: 50 hrs (min 30... | Board |
| Mississippi | No CE requirement — Board Regulation 41 (Continuing Education) applies only to dentists and dental hygienists; Mississippi does not license/register dental assistants with a CE-bearing... | Biennial cycle (Board Reg. 41 / 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2301 R. 1.41). Dentists: 40 hrs, cycle Jan 1 of even year–Dec 31 of odd year. Hygienists: 20 hrs, cycle Jan 1 of odd year–Dec 31... | Board |
| Missouri | No CE requirement for basic dental assistants. Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) permit renewal requires CE tied to the permit (commonly cited as ~16 hours per cycle, with BLS... | Biennial (2-year) cycle; reporting deadline Dec 31 of renewal year. Dentists: of the 50 hrs, at least 40 must relate to patient treatment/health/safety. Hygienists: of the 30 hrs, at... | Board |
| Montana | No state CE requirement for dental assistants (ARM 24.138.2110 addresses dentists, hygienists, and denturists only). | Three-year cycle (baseline start 2015), per ARM 24.138.2110. Dentists 60 hrs (if holding anesthesia permit: 20 hrs must be anesthesia-specific for deep sedation/GA, or 12 hrs for... | Board |
| Nebraska | No state CE requirement for dental assistants (172 NAC ch. 57 addresses licensed dentists and dental hygienists). | Biennial (24-month) cycle; renewal due on or before March 1 of each odd-numbered year (per 172 NAC ch. 57 §006). Both dentists and hygienists: 30 hrs. Mandatory: at least 2 hrs infection... | Board |
| Nevada | No CE for basic dental assistants. Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs): CE is a condition of renewal (secondary sources cite ~50 hrs over a 5-year cycle, min 30 classroom) —... | Requirements stated annually and can be met biennially (NAC 631.173/631.175). Dentists: 20 hrs/yr (40/biennium), of which at least 15 hrs/yr (30/biennium) in clinical subjects.... | Board |
| New Hampshire | No CE requirement in the state CE rule (Den 403.03) for dental assistants; the OPLC CE rule covers dentists and dental hygienists. (Certified/EFDA credential holders may face separate... | Biennial cycle (renewals due by March 31; dentists renew in even years, hygienists in odd years), per N.H. Admin. Code Den 403.03. Dentists: 40 CEUs, at least 30 in clinical dental care... | Board |
| New Jersey | 10 hours / 2 years (biennial) — Registered Dental Assistants and Limited Registered Dental Assistants have a CE requirement | Biennial renewal. Dentist mandatory hours (10 of the 40): 3 hrs CPR (hands-on, AHA-standard, in-person), 2 hrs infection control/prevention, 3 hrs pharmacology & internal medicine (incl.... | Board |
| New Mexico | 30 hours / 3 years (triennial) | 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... | Board |
| New York | No state CE requirement — NY does not license/register 'dental assistants' as a CE-bearing profession (certified dental assisting is regulated separately and lacks a triennial CE mandate... | Three-year registration cycle. Live-vs-self-study caps: dentists must earn at least 70% (42 of 60 hrs) via live courses — max 18 self-study hrs; hygienists must earn at least 7/12 (14 of... | Board |
| North Carolina | No general CE requirement for basic dental assistants; DA II must maintain CPR and complete CE as needed to retain expanded functions | Annual renewal (license year ends March 31; CE measured per calendar year). Hygienists: 6 clock hrs/year; per rule 21 NCAC 16I .0102 ALL 6 hrs may be self-study if a post-course test and... | Board |
| North Dakota | 16 hours / 2 years (biennial) — Registered/Qualified Dental Assistants | Biennial renewal. Dentists & hygienists renew by Dec 31 of ODD-numbered years; dental assistants (RDA/QDA) renew by Dec 31 of EVEN-numbered years. Self-study/home-study & online cap: up... | Board |
| Ohio | Dental X-ray Machine Operator (formerly Dental Assistant Radiographer): 2 hours / 2 years in dental x-ray/radiation technology. EFDAs (Expanded Function Dental Auxiliaries) have NO CE... | Biennial cycle; dentists and hygienists renew on the odd/even schedule via the eLicense portal. Radiographers renew by Dec 31 of even years. MANDATORY: current Healthcare-Provider-level... | Board |
| Oklahoma | Dental assistants: 2 hours / 2 years in infection control. | 2-year reporting period (current: Jul 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2027); hours do not roll over. CE reported via CE Broker (began Jul 1, 2025). MANDATORY for dentists & hygienists: an ethics... | Board |
| Oregon | No state CE hour requirement for dental assistants (certificates such as EFDA/x-ray require initial competency courses, not periodic CE). N/A for periodic renewal CE. | 2-year cycle. Dentist licensure year runs Apr 1 – Mar 31; hygienist licensure year runs Oct 1 – Sep 30. CE must be directly related to clinical patient care or dental public health.... | Board |
| Pennsylvania | Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs): 10 hours / 2 years (of which 3 hours must be in coronal polishing, with limited exemptions). Non-EFDA dental assistants are not separately... | Biennial cycle renewing Apr 1 of every odd-numbered year (State Board of Dentistry). MANDATORY for dentists, hygienists, and EFDAs: 2 hours of approved child abuse recognition and... | Board |
| Rhode Island | No specific CE hour total for dental assistants, but all dental assistants practicing in a dental setting must maintain: current hands-on BLS certification and at least 1 hour/year of... | 2-year cycle; licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years, renewal due by May 1 of even-numbered years. MANDATORY: minimum of 1 hour PER YEAR (i.e., part of each cycle) of training on... | Board |
| South Carolina | No registered 'dental assistant' CE requirement. SC registers 'dental technicians': 8 hours / 2 years (4 hours/year). No state CE requirement for chairside dental assistants. | Biennial renewal cycle; licenses renew by March 1 of odd-numbered years. Mandatory topics: at least 1 hour biennially in sterilization and infection control (dentists and hygienists);... | Board |
| South Dakota | Registered Dental Assistants (RDAs): 60 hours / 5 years (if certified in dental radiography, minimum 5 hours radiography per 5-year period). No state CE requirement for... | 5-year CE cycle. CPR: dentists, hygienists, and RDAs must maintain a current CPR card (AHA Healthcare Provider, ARC Professional Rescuer, or equivalent with hands-on skills assessment).... | Board |
| Tennessee | 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:... | Board |
| Texas | Registered Dental Assistants (RDAs): 12 hours / 2 years, of which at least 6 hours must be clinical (rule expressed as 6 hours/year, at least 3 clinical). CPR/BLS must be a current... | Biennial (2-year) renewal. For dentists and hygienists: minimum 16 of the 24 hours must be scientific/technical (clinical); up to 8 hours may be risk management... | Board |
| Utah | N/A - Utah does not license or register dental assistants under the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Practice Act (R156-69), so there is no state-mandated CE requirement for dental assistants. | Two-year (biennial) licensure/renewal cycle (R156-69-304a). CPR: current CPR-BLS (or ACLS/PALS as required by permit classification) required for renewal, but recertification hours do... | Board |
| Vermont | No state CE requirement (dental assistants register but board rules do not impose a specific CE hour count; if DANB-certified, DANB renewal separately requires 12+ CE/year) | Biennial renewal via VT Office of Professional Regulation. Dentist: 30 hrs every 2 yrs; all may be completed by home/self-study (self-study courses must conclude with an examination to... | Board |
| Virginia | No CE hour count set by the board for Dental Assistant II; renewal requires maintaining current DANB (or ADA-recognized) certification plus a current hands-on healthcare-provider CPR... | ANNUAL renewal for both dentists (18VAC60-21-250) and dental hygienists (18VAC60-25-190): minimum 15 hrs of approved CE each year (no CE required for the first renewal after initial... | Board |
| Washington | Registered Dental Assistant: no CE requirement. (EFDA — Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary — must complete continuing education; verify current hour count with DOH.) | 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... | Board |
| West Virginia | No specific CE hour count published for dental assistants in the CE rule (W.Va. CSR 5-11); EDDA/expanded-duties credentials require board-approved coursework. Verify directly with the WV... | BIENNIAL (W.Va. CSR §5-11-3). Dentist: not less than 35 hrs / 2 yrs; Hygienist: not less than 20 hrs / 2 yrs. Reporting due Feb 1 of even-numbered years. MANDATORY TOPICS (both): 2 hrs... | Board |
| Wisconsin | Dental assistants are not licensed/regulated by the state, so no state CE requirement. EFDA (Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary) certificate is permanent (no periodic renewal), but... | BIENNIAL (Wis. Admin. Code ch. DE 13; renewal biennium). DENTIST: 30 credit hrs / 2 yrs, of which not less than 25 must be clinical dentistry/medicine, and 2 hrs must cover prescribing... | Board |
| Wyoming | No CE hour requirement stated for dental assistant permit holders (radiograph, pit-and-fissure sealant permits). Permits renew every 2 years in odd-numbered years; radiograph permits... | Biennial (2-year) renewal cycle for dentists and hygienists; renewal deadline December 31 with a grace period Jan 1–Mar 31. Of the 16 dentist hours, 3 hours MUST be on responsible... | Board |
