Alaska Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Alaska dental hygienists must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Alaska Board of Dental Examiners.
Alaska dental hygienist licenses are issued for a biennial licensing period and every license of a given type expires on the same statewide date at the end of that period. Renewal requires a completed renewal form, the fee and evidence of continued professional competence. Continuing education must be completed during the concluding licensing period.
Summary
Alaska dental hygienists must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Alaska Board of Dental Examiners. Alaska dental hygienist licenses are issued for a biennial licensing period and every license of a given type expires on the same statewide date at the end of that period. Renewal requires a completed renewal form, the fee and evidence of continued professional competence. Continuing education must be completed during the concluding licensing period. Alaska also mandates specific subjects. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification: required every renewal cycle. Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Alaska 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 | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licenseeFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 20 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | Presenting a lecture or course, three contact hours for each 50 minutes of an initial presentation and one contact hour for each 50 minutes of a repeat presentation; Volunteer service in a dental related setting, not more than two credit hours for at least two hours of service; Board approved self-study programs offered by a dental or dental hygiene college or university, the AGD or the ADA; Board approved organized study club courses |
12 AAC 28.400(b) requires an applicant for renewal of a dental hygienist license to document at least 20 contact hours of continuing education plus CPR certification meeting 12 AAC 28.920. This is the hygienist figure stated in its own subsection, separate from the 32 contact hours that subsection (a) sets for dentists. Subsection (a)(3), the two hour pain management and opioid requirement for DEA registrants, appears only in the dentist subsection and is not repeated for hygienists. A hygienist who also renews a restorative function endorsement under 12 AAC 28.780 must document an additional two hours of continuing education relating to materials or techniques used for the restoration of teeth (12 AAC 28.400(c)); that endorsement is a separate credential and its two hours are not folded into the 20 hour total. One contact hour equals a minimum of 50 minutes of instruction; one academic semester credit hour equals 15 contact hours, one academic quarter credit equals 10 contact hours, and one continuing education unit or credit equals one contact hour. CPR training may count toward the total but no more than four hours of it for the entire renewal period (12 AAC 28.410(c)). Courses in practice management and risk management are limited to three hours per licensing period. Not more than eight hours of continuing education taken through the Internet in a 24 hour period may apply, a per day limit rather than a cap on total online hours, so max_self_study_or_online is left null. Under 12 AAC 28.400(f) the hours must be completed during the concluding licensing period, so hours are not carried forward. A first time renewal applicant instead documents at least one half of the hours required by 12 AAC 28.400(b)(1) and (c) for each complete year licensed during the concluding licensing period (12 AAC 28.405(b)).
Required CE topics for Alaska dental hygienists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificationCertification must be based on training equivalent to an American Heart Association or American Red Cross course; online courses are not acceptable unless there is a hands-on component. It is a renewal condition in its own right, and the hours may also be counted as continuing education up to four hours for the entire renewal period. No fixed hour value is stated for the certification itself. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 12 AAC 28.400(b)(2); 12 AAC 28.920; 12 AAC 28.410(c) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | Only courses, workshops or symposiums approved, provided or sponsored by the American Dental Hygienist's Association, the Academy of General Dentistry or the American Dental Association; other courses offered by dental or dental hygiene colleges, universities or similar organizations that the board approves; board approved organized study club courses; and self-study programs offered by a dental or dental hygiene college or university, the AGD or the ADA that the board has approved. Board acceptance of a course is valid for two years unless its content changes (12 AAC 28.410). |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Alaska RDH need to renew?
- Alaska dental hygienists must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Alaska Board of Dental Examiners. 12 AAC 28.400(b) requires an applicant for renewal of a dental hygienist license to document at least 20 contact hours of continuing education plus CPR certification meeting 12 AAC 28.920. This is the hygienist figure stated in its own subsection, separate from the 32 contact hours that subsection (a) sets for dentists. Subsection (a)(3), the two hour pain management and opioid requirement for DEA registrants, appears only in the dentist subsection and is not repeated for hygienists. A hygienist who also renews a restorative function endorsement under 12 AAC 28.780 must document an additional two hours of continuing education relating to materials or techniques used for the restoration of teeth (12 AAC 28.400(c)); that endorsement is a separate credential and its two hours are not folded into the 20 hour total. One contact hour equals a minimum of 50 minutes of instruction; one academic semester credit hour equals 15 contact hours, one academic quarter credit equals 10 contact hours, and one continuing education unit or credit equals one contact hour. CPR training may count toward the total but no more than four hours of it for the entire renewal period (12 AAC 28.410(c)). Courses in practice management and risk management are limited to three hours per licensing period. Not more than eight hours of continuing education taken through the Internet in a 24 hour period may apply, a per day limit rather than a cap on total online hours, so max_self_study_or_online is left null. Under 12 AAC 28.400(f) the hours must be completed during the concluding licensing period, so hours are not carried forward. A first time renewal applicant instead documents at least one half of the hours required by 12 AAC 28.400(b)(1) and (c) for each complete year licensed during the concluding licensing period (12 AAC 28.405(b)).
- How often does a Alaska RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Alaska renew every two years. Alaska dental hygienist licenses are issued for a biennial licensing period and every license of a given type expires on the same statewide date at the end of that period. Renewal requires a completed renewal form, the fee and evidence of continued professional competence. Continuing education must be completed during the concluding licensing period.
- What specific CE topics are required for Alaska dental hygienists?
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification: required every renewal cycle. Citations: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification (12 AAC 28.400(b)(2); 12 AAC 28.920; 12 AAC 28.410(c)).
- Do Alaska dental hygienists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates. Only courses, workshops or symposiums approved, provided or sponsored by the American Dental Hygienist's Association, the Academy of General Dentistry or the American Dental Association; other courses offered by dental or dental hygiene colleges, universities or similar organizations that the board approves; board approved organized study club courses; and self-study programs offered by a dental or dental hygiene college or university, the AGD or the ADA that the board has approved. Board acceptance of a course is valid for two years unless its content changes (12 AAC 28.410).
- Is the first Alaska RDH renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Alaska applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Alaska Administrative Code Title 12 Chapter 28, Board of Dental Examiners (12 AAC 28.400 to 12 AAC 28.420)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Alaska Statutes 2025, AS 08.36.070 General powersStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
Alaska runs one Board of Dental Examiners for both credentials, but hygienists are licensed under AS 08.32 while dentists are licensed under AS 08.36, and 12 AAC 28.400 states each credential's hours in its own subsection. The 20 contact hours were read from subsection (b), not derived from the dentist figure. One point to watch: AS 08.36.070(a)(7) directs the board to adopt regulations requiring not less than two hours of education in pain management and opioid use and addiction in the two years before renewal of a license, registration or certificate under AS 08.36 or a license, certificate or endorsement under AS 08.32, which on its face reaches dental hygienists, yet the regulation the board adopted, 12 AAC 28.400, places that requirement only in the dentist subsection (a)(3) and omits it from the hygienist subsection (b). Because hygienists generally do not hold DEA registrations and the regulation does not impose it on them, no opioid topic is recorded here; a reader who is a hygienist with a DEA registration should confirm with the board. The board's own pages on commerce.alaska.gov returned HTTP 403 to every automated client tried, so the board homepage in board_url was not read and no renewal page URL is recorded. The exact calendar expiration date is set administratively and published only on that unreachable division site, so fixed_deadline_month_day is null. Record retention length is set by 12 AAC 02.960(f), which was not read. topic key cpr_bls is not on the canonical list; it is used because CPR certification is an express renewal condition.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Alaska Board of Dental Examiners before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.