Kentucky Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Kentucky dental hygienists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Dentistry.
All Kentucky dental hygienist licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years, one year offset from the dentist cycle, and must be renewed to remain active. Renewal requires the renewal application, the fee, active CPR certification, and the 30 hours of continuing education for the two year licensure period. Special registrations such as general supervision, public health, local anesthesia, laser debridement and intravenous access lines renew with the license.
Summary
Kentucky dental hygienists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Dentistry. All Kentucky dental hygienist licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years, one year offset from the dentist cycle, and must be renewed to remain active. Renewal requires the renewal application, the fee, active CPR certification, and the 30 hours of continuing education for the two year licensure period. Special registrations such as general supervision, public health, local anesthesia, laser debridement and intravenous access lines renew with the license. Kentucky also mandates specific subjects. Live board-approved course in the identification and prevention of potential medical emergencies: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (dental hygienists who hold a board-issued general supervision registration). Active CPR certification meeting or exceeding the American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and ECC: required every renewal cycle.
Kentucky 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 licensee, 12/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Live or interactive minimum | 10 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | Clinical dental hygiene performed on a charitable or volunteer basis; Business operations and best practices courses; Dental or dental hygiene association or society business meetings |
201 KAR 8:563 Section 5 requires a Kentucky licensed dental hygienist to complete 30 hours of continuing education during the two year licensure period. This figure was read in the hygienist regulation; the dentist requirement, also 30 hours, sits in 201 KAR 8:533 Section 9 and neither was derived from the other. Kentucky is one of the states where the two credentials owe the same total but not the same mandated subjects: the hygienist regulation contains no KASPER or opioid requirement, no pediatric abusive head trauma requirement and no pediatric ingestion requirement, all of which apply only to dentists. At least 10 of the 30 hours must be taken in a live, interactive presentation format, and no more than 10 may come from the combination of charitable or volunteer clinical dental hygiene, business operations and best practices, and association or society business meetings. The board states that CPR certification must be maintained and does not count toward the 30 hours. Proration replaces a first-renewal exemption: a licensee newly licensed or reinstated in the second year of the biennium, or who graduated in the first year, completes half the hours, and a licensee who graduated in the second year completes none. A charitable limited license holder completes no continuing education. Special registrations carry extra course requirements that may be counted inside the 30 hours rather than added to them: a hygienist registered in general supervision must complete a live three hour board approved course in the identification and prevention of potential medical emergencies each biennium, and a hygienist registered in public health dental hygiene must complete public health and medical emergency hours. The board's continuing education page and 201 KAR 8:563 Section 14(9) state different totals for the public health registration, five plus three hours on the board page against nine hours made up of six public health hours plus three medical emergency hours in the regulation, so no figure is recorded for that registration here. Local anesthesia, laser debridement and intravenous access line registrations have no separate continuing education requirement.
Required CE topics for Kentucky dental hygienists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live board-approved course in the identification and prevention of potential medical emergenciesRequired during each biennial license period to maintain the general supervision registration at license renewal. The hours may be included in the 30 hours required for license renewal and are not additional. The board's continuing education page states the same three hour figure. The topic key medical_emergencies is not one of the canonical keys. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | Dental hygienists who hold a board-issued general supervision registration | 201 KAR 8:563 Section 11(8) |
| Active CPR certification meeting or exceeding the American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and ECCA condition of renewal. The board states plainly that CPR certification does not count toward the 30 continuing education hours, so no hours are recorded. The topic key basic_life_support is not one of the canonical keys. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 201 KAR 8:563 Section 6(1)(c) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 5 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The regulation does not restrict continuing education to approved sponsors; it lists acceptable content areas and requires a certificate of completion or attendance bearing the provider's signature or verification, the licensee's name, the course title, the date, the hours earned, and evidence of the method of delivery for live interactive courses. Laser debridement certificates must also name the laser device and wavelength, and certain core courses require a board approved course identification number. CE Broker is the board's official continuing education tracking system and licensees receive a free basic account, though the board says registration is recommended rather than mandatory. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Kentucky RDH need to renew?
- Kentucky dental hygienists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Dentistry. 201 KAR 8:563 Section 5 requires a Kentucky licensed dental hygienist to complete 30 hours of continuing education during the two year licensure period. This figure was read in the hygienist regulation; the dentist requirement, also 30 hours, sits in 201 KAR 8:533 Section 9 and neither was derived from the other. Kentucky is one of the states where the two credentials owe the same total but not the same mandated subjects: the hygienist regulation contains no KASPER or opioid requirement, no pediatric abusive head trauma requirement and no pediatric ingestion requirement, all of which apply only to dentists. At least 10 of the 30 hours must be taken in a live, interactive presentation format, and no more than 10 may come from the combination of charitable or volunteer clinical dental hygiene, business operations and best practices, and association or society business meetings. The board states that CPR certification must be maintained and does not count toward the 30 hours. Proration replaces a first-renewal exemption: a licensee newly licensed or reinstated in the second year of the biennium, or who graduated in the first year, completes half the hours, and a licensee who graduated in the second year completes none. A charitable limited license holder completes no continuing education. Special registrations carry extra course requirements that may be counted inside the 30 hours rather than added to them: a hygienist registered in general supervision must complete a live three hour board approved course in the identification and prevention of potential medical emergencies each biennium, and a hygienist registered in public health dental hygiene must complete public health and medical emergency hours. The board's continuing education page and 201 KAR 8:563 Section 14(9) state different totals for the public health registration, five plus three hours on the board page against nine hours made up of six public health hours plus three medical emergency hours in the regulation, so no figure is recorded for that registration here. Local anesthesia, laser debridement and intravenous access line registrations have no separate continuing education requirement.
- How often does a Kentucky RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Kentucky renew every two years. All Kentucky dental hygienist licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years, one year offset from the dentist cycle, and must be renewed to remain active. Renewal requires the renewal application, the fee, active CPR certification, and the 30 hours of continuing education for the two year licensure period. Special registrations such as general supervision, public health, local anesthesia, laser debridement and intravenous access lines renew with the license.
- What specific CE topics are required for Kentucky dental hygienists?
- Live board-approved course in the identification and prevention of potential medical emergencies: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (dental hygienists who hold a board-issued general supervision registration). Active CPR certification meeting or exceeding the American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and ECC: required every renewal cycle. Citations: live board-approved course in the identification and prevention of potential medical emergencies (201 KAR 8:563 Section 11(8)) and Active CPR certification meeting or exceeding the American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and ECC (201 KAR 8:563 Section 6(1)(c)).
- Do Kentucky dental hygienists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 5 years. The regulation does not restrict continuing education to approved sponsors; it lists acceptable content areas and requires a certificate of completion or attendance bearing the provider's signature or verification, the licensee's name, the course title, the date, the hours earned, and evidence of the method of delivery for live interactive courses. Laser debridement certificates must also name the laser device and wavelength, and certain core courses require a board approved course identification number. CE Broker is the board's official continuing education tracking system and licensees receive a free basic account, though the board says registration is recommended rather than mandatory.
- Is the first Kentucky RDH renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Kentucky 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.
- 201 KAR 8:563, Licensure of dental hygienists (Sections 5, 6, 11 and 14 cover continuing education, renewal and special registrations)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Continuing Education, Kentucky Board of DentistryState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- 201 KAR 8:533, Licensure of dentists (read to confirm the dentist requirement separately)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
The 30 hour total, the ten live interactive hours, the ten hour cap on the three soft categories, the five year retention and the audit provision were read in 201 KAR 8:563 Section 5 on the Legislative Research Commission's site, and the board's own continuing education page repeats the 30 hour total and the December 31 even-year deadline for hygienists. The dentist regulation was read separately and its mandated subjects, KASPER or opioid, pediatric abusive head trauma and pediatric ingestion, are absent from the hygienist regulation, so none are recorded here. One discrepancy between two official sources was found and is not resolved here: for the public health dental hygiene registration the board's continuing education page states five hours of public health plus a three hour medical emergencies course, while 201 KAR 8:563 Section 14(9) states nine hours made up of six public health hours plus three medical emergency hours. That registration is a separate credential from the base license and no figure for it is recorded in this record's fields, so it does not put any recorded value in doubt, but a hygienist holding the public health registration should confirm the number with the board. The regulation states no carryover provision and no self-study cap.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Kentucky Board of Dentistry before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.