Dental assistant CE snapshot
Registered Dental Assistants: 24 hours / 2 years (at least 2 hours chemical dependency education). Applies to registered dental assistants.
Last verified 2026-07-08. Research confidence: high.
Role-specific online CE
Tennessee dental assistant online dental CE
Dental assistants in Tennessee: Registered Dental Assistants: 24 hours / 2 years (at least 2 hours chemical dependency education). Applies to registered dental assistants.. Online/live-course signal from Dentovio's sourced CE notes: 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). Confirm the current dental assistant live, webinar, correspondence, home-study, self-study, provider, and audit rules with the Tennessee dental board before enrolling.
Online and live-course signal
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).
Before choosing a course
- Verify whether live webinar hours count differently from self-paced online CE.
- Check caps for correspondence, home-study, self-study, or asynchronous formats.
- Confirm provider approval for your role before enrolling.
- Keep completion certificates and audit records in the board-required format.
Related online CE roles
Source language to review
- 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).
Full renewal-cycle note
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.