Dental assistant CE snapshot
Registered Dental Assistant: no CE requirement. (EFDA — Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary — must complete continuing education; verify current hour count with DOH.)
Last verified 2026-07-08. Research confidence: high.
Role-specific online CE
Washington dental assistant online dental CE
Dental assistants in Washington: Registered Dental Assistant: no CE requirement. (EFDA — Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary — must complete continuing education; verify current hour count with DOH.). Online/live-course signal from Dentovio's sourced CE notes: 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. Confirm the current dental assistant live, webinar, correspondence, home-study, self-study, provider, and audit rules with the Washington dental board before enrolling.
Online and live-course signal
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.
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
- 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.
Full renewal-cycle note
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.
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