All 50 states + DC

Dental Hygiene CE Requirements by State

How many CE hours do dental hygienists need? It depends on your state. Averaged per year, requirements run from 6 hours (North Carolina and Wisconsin) to 20 hours (Arkansas), and most states count them over a 2-year renewal cycle.

In 47 of 51 jurisdictions, you also need current CPR/BLS certification to renew. Many states set required topics like infection control or ethics, and limit how much CE can be self-study.

Last verified August 31, 2026Sources

Jurisdictions compared: 51
Fewest hours a year: 6
Most hours a year: 20
Require CPR/BLS to renew: 47

CE requirements in every state

"Per year" divides the cycle total by its length so states compare fairly. Select a state for renewal timing, FAQs, and the board source.

Dental hygienist CE requirements by state, verified August 31, 2026
					Required topics	Self-study and online limits
Alabama	12	1 year	12	Required	Infectious disease control, ethics	At least 6 of the 12 hours must be live and in person. No more than half can be distance or online courses.
Alaska	20	2 years	10	Required	None named	Up to 8 hours per cycle can be online. The rest can be home study.
Arizona	45	3 years	15	Required	Infection control, ethics or Arizona jurisprudence	Up to 15 hours can be self-study. At least 25 hours must be clinical or health-related.
Arkansas	40	2 years	20	Required	Infection control	All hours can be home study if each course has a post-test and a certificate.
California	25 units	2 years	12.5	Required	California Dental Practice Act, infection control	No more than half (12.5 of 25 units) can be correspondence or self-study, and you can count no more than 8 units a day.
Colorado	30	2 years	15	Required	None named	At least half must be live or interactive, and at least 16 of the 30 hours must be clinical or science-based.
Connecticut	16	2 years	8	Not required	Infection control, cultural competency	There's no limit on online CE.
Delaware	24	2 years	12	Required	Infection control	Up to 10 of the 24 hours can be self-study.
Florida	24	2 years	12	Required	Prevention of medical errors, HIV/AIDS (one time), domestic violence (every third renewal)	Florida doesn't cap home-study or online CE. Up to 6 hours can come from pro bono service.
Georgia	22	2 years	11	Required	Ethics and professionalism, infection control	Up to half (11 hours) can be home study, and at least 15 hours must be clinical or scientific.
Hawaii	20	2 years	10	Required	Ethics	No more than half (10 hours) can be correspondence or self-study.
Idaho	30	2 years	15	Required	None named	Idaho's rules don't cap self-study, and volunteer dental hygiene work can count.
Illinois	36	3 years	12	Required	Sexual harassment prevention, implicit bias and cultural competency	No more than half (18 hours) can be correspondence or on-demand self-study.
Indiana	19	2 years	9.5	Required	Ethics and jurisprudence (2 hours, part of the 19)	At least half must be live or interactive. The rest can be self-study.
Iowa	30	2 years	15	Required	Infection control, Iowa jurisprudence, child and dependent adult abuse reporter training	Up to 12 hours can be self-study, such as internet, video, or correspondence courses.
Kansas	30	2 years	15	Required	Ethics	All hours can be online, and up to 4 hours of CPR/BLS can count. Your first renewal needs only 15 hours.
Kentucky	30	2 years	15	Required	None named	At least 10 hours must be live and interactive. CPR doesn't count toward the 30.
Louisiana	20	2 years	10	Required	None named	At least 12 hours must be attended clinical courses. Up to 8 hours can be online or correspondence courses with an exam.
Maine	30	2 years	15	Required	None named	Distance learning has no limit if the course has an exit exam. Without an exit exam, the limit is 10 hours.
Maryland	30	2 years	15	Required	Infection control, abuse and neglect (every other cycle), implicit bias (one time)	Up to 17 hours per cycle can be self-study.
Massachusetts	20	2 years	10	Required	Infection control (CDC guidelines)	Self-instruction is capped at 10 hours, and each course needs a passed test.
Michigan	36	3 years	12	Required	Pain and opioid management, ethics and jurisprudence, infection control, human trafficking (one time), implicit bias (in addition to the 36 hours)	No more than 18 of the 36 hours can be online or on demand, and at least 12 hours must be live or interactive.
Minnesota	25	2 years	12.5	Required	Infection control	At least 15 of the 25 hours must be fundamental activities that relate directly to clinical care. No more than 10 can be elective, which includes self-study reading.
Mississippi	20	2 years	10	Required	None named	Home study has no cap, but non-live courses need a post-test. Up to 8 hours of CPR can count.
Missouri	30	2 years	15	Required	None named	At least 25 of the 30 hours must relate to patient care, health, or safety. Up to 15 extra hours carry forward.
Montana	36	3 years	12	Required	None named	There's no cap. All 36 hours can be home study.
Nebraska	30	2 years	15	Not required	Infection control	Up to 10 of the 30 hours can be home study.
Nevada	30	2 years	15	Required	Infection control, bioterrorism (one time)	No more than half (15 of 30 hours) can be home study, self-study, or online.
New Hampshire	20	2 years	10	Required	Infection control	Online and audiovisual courses are capped at 30% and correspondence courses at 20%. At least 15 of the 20 hours must be clinical.
New Jersey	20	2 years	10	Required	Infection control, opioids and prescription drugs, ethics or New Jersey dental law	Online distance learning is capped at half (10 of 20 hours). Live webinars don't count toward that cap.
New Mexico	45	3 years	15	Required	Infection control	Up to 30 of the 45 hours can be online, webinar, or self-study courses.
New York	24	3 years	8	Not required	Infection control (every 4 years)	At least 14 of the 24 hours must be live. Up to 10 can be self-study.
North Carolina	6	1 year	6	Required	Substance abuse and mental health, local anesthesia (if you're certified)	All 6 hours can be online or correspondence courses that include a post-test and a certificate. Courses must relate directly to patient care.
North Dakota	16	2 years	8	Required	Infection control	Up to 8 of the 16 hours can be home study or online.
Ohio	20	2 years	10	Required	None named	Ohio doesn't cap online, self-study, or correspondence hours. CPR/BLS course hours can count toward the 20.
Oklahoma	20	2 years	10	Required	Ethics	Up to 10 of the 20 hours can be online. Your CPR/BLS course must be live.
Oregon	24	2 years	12	Required	Medical emergencies, infection control, cultural competency	There's no cap. All 24 hours can be home study.
Pennsylvania	20	2 years	10	Required	Child abuse recognition and reporting (2 hours, part of the 20)	No more than half (10 of 20 hours) can be self-study. CPR courses don't count toward the 20.
Rhode Island	20	2 years	10	Required	Infection control	All hours can be home study.
South Carolina	14	2 years	7	Required	Sterilization and infection control	Up to 7 hours can be home study.
South Dakota	75	5 years	15	Required	Dental radiography	Up to 30 hours per five-year cycle can be home study.
Tennessee	30	2 years	15	Required	Chemical dependency	Up to half can be online or web-based courses.
Texas	24	2 years	12	Required	Human trafficking prevention (part of the 24 hours), jurisprudence assessment every 4 years (on top of the 24 hours)	Up to 8 hours can be self-study, and at least 16 must be technical or scientific clinical courses. CPR hours don't count toward the 24.
Utah	30	2 years	15	Required	None named	Up to 15 hours per two-year period can be online or home study.
Vermont	18	2 years	9	Not required	Emergency office procedures	Check with board
Virginia	15	1 year	15	Required	None named	Check with board
Washington	15	1 year	15	Required	Suicide prevention (one time)	Self-study is capped at 5 hours a year. Distance learning with an assessment has no cap.
Washington, DC	20	2 years	10	Required	Infection control (2 hours), ethics (1 hour), cultural competency or LGBTQ-focused clinical training (2 hours), DC public health priority topics (at least 2 hours)	All 20 hours can be approved online courses.
West Virginia	20	2 years	10	Required	Infection control	Up to 80% can be supervised self-instruction. Unsupervised self-study is capped at 10%.
Wisconsin	12	2 years	6	Required	Infection control	Independent, correspondence, and internet courses have no cap. Up to 2 hours of BLS/CPR can count.
Wyoming	16	2 years	8	Required	None named	There's no limit on online CE. Your required BLS doesn't count toward the 16 hours.

How to read these requirements

Hours and cycle. Your total is due by the end of each renewal cycle, which is every 2 years in most states. Some boards run the CE period on a different calendar than the license itself, so check your state's renewal timing.
CE hours, credits, and CEUs. Most states set their requirement in hours. California counts "units." Use your board's own term when you log courses.
Required topics. Some are due every cycle. Others are one-time or due every few cycles. Your state's page has the details.
Self-study limits. Many states cap home-study or online hours and require some live or interactive courses.

Our continuing education guide covers what counts, live vs self-study, and audits.

Frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do dental hygienists need?

It depends on your state. Averaged per year, requirements run from 6 hours (North Carolina and Wisconsin) to 20 hours (Arkansas). Most states count hours over a 2-year renewal cycle, so check your state's cycle as well as its total.

Which states require the most CE for dental hygienists?

Averaged per year: Arkansas (40 hours every 2 years), Arizona (45 hours every 3 years), Colorado (30 hours every 2 years).

Which states require the fewest CE hours?

Averaged per year: Wisconsin (12 hours every 2 years), North Carolina (6 hours every year), South Carolina (14 hours every 2 years).

Do dental hygienists need CPR to renew their license?

In most states. In 47 of 51 jurisdictions, you need current CPR/BLS certification to renew. Some states also let CPR course hours count toward CE.

Can dental hygienists do all their CE online?

It depends on the state. Some allow every hour through self-study or online courses. Others cap self-study or require a minimum of live hours. The table lists each state's limit. Live vs self-study CE, explained

Sources

Last verified August 31, 2026. Each state page cites that state's board or administrative-code source, and states we've re-verified since show their own date. The ADHA licensure map is our cross-check for hours and cycles.

adha.org /licensuremaps

Rules change. Confirm with your state board before you rely on them.