Alabama Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Alabama dental hygienists must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama.
Alabama dental hygienists register annually. The board opens renewals on August 1, the statute directs every licensed dental hygienist to transmit the completed annual registration form and fee on or before October 1, and a license is automatically suspended if the holder has not secured the annual registration certificate before January 1. All continuing education for the year must be in CE Broker before the license can be renewed.
Summary
Alabama dental hygienists must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama. Alabama dental hygienists register annually. The board opens renewals on August 1, the statute directs every licensed dental hygienist to transmit the completed annual registration form and fee on or before October 1, and a license is automatically suspended if the holder has not secured the annual registration certificate before January 1. All continuing education for the year must be in CE Broker before the license can be renewed. Alabama also mandates specific subjects. Infectious Disease Control as it relates to the dental office or the practice of dentistry: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Ethical considerations in the practice of dental hygiene: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. CPR (Basic Support Level): required on a periodic schedule set by the board.
Alabama Dental Hygienist renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 12 contact hours |
| Live or interactive minimum | 6 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Pro bono charitable work performed in Alabama under the direct supervision of an Alabama licensed dentist, one hour of credit for every two hours of service, maximum 4 hours; Teaching a continuing education program as a dental hygienist, two hours of credit for each hour taught |
The board's continuing education page, showing requirements effective February 14, 2025, states that dental hygienists need 12 hours of continuing education annually with at least 6 hours of in-person face-to-face live training. This is a separate hygienist figure on the board's page, not a fraction of the 20 hour dentist requirement. Half of all continuing education must be attributed to the practice of dental hygiene. Category caps: a maximum of 4 hours annually of insurance, government regulations and tort liability or risk management, and a maximum of 3 hours annually of practice management. The hygienist list carries no controlled substance or prescribing requirement, unlike the dentist list on the same page. The board does not state a general self-study or online cap beyond the 6 hour live minimum, so max_self_study_or_online is left null. Continuing education is reported through CE Broker, the board's official tracking system.
Required CE topics for Alabama dental hygienists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infectious Disease Control as it relates to the dental office or the practice of dentistryBoard states 1 hour annually. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | All licensees | Ala. Admin. Code r. 270-X-4-.04 |
| Ethical considerations in the practice of dental hygieneBoard states 1 hour annually. The dentist version of this requirement is worded as ethics in the practice of dentistry. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | All licensees | Ala. Admin. Code r. 270-X-4-.04 |
| CPR (Basic Support Level)The board lists this as mandatory and describes it as 2 to 4 hours maximum CPR at the Basic Support level, through the American Heart Association, American Red Cross or an equivalent program, in person only, every 2 years. Dentists may satisfy the same item with Basic or Advanced Support. The page does not say plainly whether those hours count inside the 12 hour annual total, so no hour value is recorded. | Not stated | Periodic | All licensees | Ala. Admin. Code r. 270-X-4-.04 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Not stated |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | CE Broker is the official continuing education tracking system of the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama. Licensees must create a CE Broker account and upload all continuing education there in the appropriate CE time periods, and course providers seek board approval of courses through CE Broker. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Alabama RDH need to renew?
- Alabama dental hygienists must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama. The board's continuing education page, showing requirements effective February 14, 2025, states that dental hygienists need 12 hours of continuing education annually with at least 6 hours of in-person face-to-face live training. This is a separate hygienist figure on the board's page, not a fraction of the 20 hour dentist requirement. Half of all continuing education must be attributed to the practice of dental hygiene. Category caps: a maximum of 4 hours annually of insurance, government regulations and tort liability or risk management, and a maximum of 3 hours annually of practice management. The hygienist list carries no controlled substance or prescribing requirement, unlike the dentist list on the same page. The board does not state a general self-study or online cap beyond the 6 hour live minimum, so max_self_study_or_online is left null. Continuing education is reported through CE Broker, the board's official tracking system.
- How often does a Alabama RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Alabama renew every year. Alabama dental hygienists register annually. The board opens renewals on August 1, the statute directs every licensed dental hygienist to transmit the completed annual registration form and fee on or before October 1, and a license is automatically suspended if the holder has not secured the annual registration certificate before January 1. All continuing education for the year must be in CE Broker before the license can be renewed.
- What specific CE topics are required for Alabama dental hygienists?
- Infectious Disease Control as it relates to the dental office or the practice of dentistry: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Ethical considerations in the practice of dental hygiene: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. CPR (Basic Support Level): required on a periodic schedule set by the board. Citations: Infectious Disease Control as it relates to the dental office or the practice of dentistry (Ala. Admin. Code r. 270-X-4-.04), ethical considerations in the practice of dental hygiene (Ala. Admin. Code r. 270-X-4-.04), and CPR (Basic Support Level) (Ala. Admin. Code r. 270-X-4-.04).
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education, Board of Dental Examiners of AlabamaState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- License Portal, Board of Dental Examiners of AlabamaState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Alabama Code Section 34-9-15, Annual Registration; Continuing Education (2025)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
Alabama runs one board for both credentials, the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama, and its continuing education page lists dentist and hygienist requirements as two separate blocks. The 12 hour total, the 6 hour live minimum, the infection control and ethics mandates and the category caps were read from the hygienist block, not scaled from the dentist block. The rule text itself could not be read: the Alabama Administrative Code site serves rule text only as PDF through its API path (https://admincode.legislature.state.al.us/api/rule/270-X-4-.04 returns application/pdf) and its HTML routes are a JavaScript shell, and the board's own rule copies are PDFs. The statutory registration dates in Section 34-9-15 cover dentists and dental hygienists together and were read on Justia, a mirror, because the official Alabama Code site did not render. Carryover, retention and audit terms are not published on the pages read. topic key cpr_bls is not on the canonical list; it is used because the board makes CPR certification a renewal condition and no canonical key covers it.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.