CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR DENTAL ASSISTANTS

Registration Renewal CE Requirements

Registered Dental Assistants are not required to complete Continuing Education (CE) for the first registration period.  When you receive your first annual registration certificate, an expiration date will be reflected.  That will be the date you should start collecting CE.

Six hours of CE must be taken each renewal year.  All CE can be self-study and must be in a topic related to dental assistant duties.  All CE courses must be offered or endorsed by a Continuing Education Provider listed in Dental Board Rule 104.2.  (The CE Providers listed in Rule 104.2 are accredited dental, dental hygiene, or dental assisting school or nationally recognized dental, dental hygiene, or dental assisting organizations) 

PALS and ACLS training may be used towards continuing education hours.

Continuing Education hours earned by Dental Assistants cannot be carried forward from year-to-year. 

When you renew your registration each year, you will be asked to sign an attestation at the bottom of the renewal form that states you have completed the six hours of CE.  Maintain documentation on all the CE you complete for three years in the event your registration is selected for random audit.

Example 1: 
Issue date of RDA:  January 15, 2007          First expiration date:  April 1, 2008
CE will not be due until April 1, 2009 (first registration period of October 3, 2006 until June 1, 2007 is exempt)- your first period to collect 6 hours of CE is between April 1, 2008 and April 1, 2009.

Example 2:
Issue date of RDA:  October 3, 2006          First expiration date:  June 1 2007
CE will not be due until June 1, 2008 (first registration period of October 3, 2006 until June 1, 2007 is exempt)- your first period to collect 6 hours of CE is between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008.

 

The SBDE does not maintain a list of CE Courses. A list of approved CE providers is available in the SBDE Rules and Regulations in Rule 104.2 below.  A possible resource for CE could come from local dental, dental hygiene and dental assistant society meetings, schools and the internet.

To review Dental Board Rule 104.2 – Providers, please click here.

Pit and Fissure Sealant CE Requirements

Dental Assistants holding a certification to apply pit and fissure sealants must provide six hours of CE at the time the certification is renewed each year.  All hours must be scientific and technical as it relates to clinical care of the individual patient.

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