Nebraska Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Nebraska dental hygienists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nebraska Board of Dentistry, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit.
All Nebraska dental hygiene licenses and permits, and public health authorizations, expire on March 1 of each odd numbered year, so the license is renewed every two years on the same fixed date for everyone. The 30 hours of continuing education must be finished on or before that March 1, earned during the preceding 24 months. A license can be placed on inactive status at any time, and an inactive or expired license comes back through the dental hygienist reinstatement application.
Summary
Nebraska dental hygienists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nebraska Board of Dentistry, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit. All Nebraska dental hygiene licenses and permits, and public health authorizations, expire on March 1 of each odd numbered year, so the license is renewed every two years on the same fixed date for everyone. The 30 hours of continuing education must be finished on or before that March 1, earned during the preceding 24 months. A license can be placed on inactive status at any time, and an inactive or expired license comes back through the dental hygienist reinstatement application. Nebraska also mandates specific subjects. Infection control continuing education: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Continuing education in each expanded function permit area: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dental hygienists who hold an expanded function permit, for example the restorative Level I or Level II permit). No more than 10 contact hours may be self-study or online, hours do not carry over between cycles, and the first renewal is exempt.
Nebraska 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, 03/01 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 10 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Home study with a testing mechanism (10 hour cap); Acting as a table clinician or lecturer (2 hour cap); Direct clinical observation (2 hour cap); Initial CPR certification (10 hour cap) or CPR recertification (4 hour cap); Faculty overseeing student dental hygiene or expanded function dental hygiene clinics (5 hour cap); Creating a continuing education presentation (2 hours) and first delivery of it (2 hours); Volunteer activity such as Mission of Mercy or equivalent (5 hour cap); Attendance at district meetings and study clubs; College or university sponsored continuing education courses in dentistry or dental hygiene |
30 hours in the 24 months before the March 1 expiration, set by 172 NAC 57, 006. That total happens to match the dentist total in 172 NAC 56, but the two are written as separate requirements in separate chapters and the limits underneath them differ: the hygiene rule caps dental public health, well being or substance abuse, and ethics and professionalism activities at 5 hours each, and requires 2 hours in each area for which the hygienist holds an expanded function permit, while the dentist rule instead carries sedation permit and opiate prescribing minimums. Credits above 30 in a renewal period do not carry over. Home study is capped at 10 hours, and an interactive webinar that lets the participant interact with the presenter is not treated as home study. CPR counts toward the 30 hours as an acceptable activity rather than being a standing certification condition: up to 10 hours for initial certification or 4 hours for recertification. The Board of Dentistry does not pre-approve continuing education programs or activities for hygienists (172 NAC 57, 006.02).
Required CE topics for Nebraska dental hygienists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infection control continuing educationStated as a minimum of 2 hours in a renewal period. It counts toward the 30 hours. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | 172 NAC 57, 006.05(E) |
| Continuing education in each expanded function permit areaA minimum of 2 hours in each area for which the licensee holds an expanded function permit. The permits are separate credentials from the hygiene license; the hours sit inside the same 30 hour renewal period. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | dental hygienists who hold an expanded function permit, for example the restorative Level I or Level II permit | 172 NAC 57, 006.05(F) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | No approving body and no pre-approval. 172 NAC 57, 006.02 says the Board of Dentistry does not pre-approve continuing education programs or activities. 006.03 sets the criteria: at least 50 minutes long, objectives related to the practice of dental hygiene, a presenter qualified by education, experience or training, open to all licensed dental hygienists who meet the prerequisites, and a provider process for verifying attendance that issues a certificate naming the program, participant and license number, provider, dates and hours. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Nebraska RDH need to renew?
- Nebraska dental hygienists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nebraska Board of Dentistry, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit. 30 hours in the 24 months before the March 1 expiration, set by 172 NAC 57, 006. That total happens to match the dentist total in 172 NAC 56, but the two are written as separate requirements in separate chapters and the limits underneath them differ: the hygiene rule caps dental public health, well being or substance abuse, and ethics and professionalism activities at 5 hours each, and requires 2 hours in each area for which the hygienist holds an expanded function permit, while the dentist rule instead carries sedation permit and opiate prescribing minimums. Credits above 30 in a renewal period do not carry over. Home study is capped at 10 hours, and an interactive webinar that lets the participant interact with the presenter is not treated as home study. CPR counts toward the 30 hours as an acceptable activity rather than being a standing certification condition: up to 10 hours for initial certification or 4 hours for recertification. The Board of Dentistry does not pre-approve continuing education programs or activities for hygienists (172 NAC 57, 006.02).
- How often does a Nebraska RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Nebraska renew every two years. All Nebraska dental hygiene licenses and permits, and public health authorizations, expire on March 1 of each odd numbered year, so the license is renewed every two years on the same fixed date for everyone. The 30 hours of continuing education must be finished on or before that March 1, earned during the preceding 24 months. A license can be placed on inactive status at any time, and an inactive or expired license comes back through the dental hygienist reinstatement application.
- What specific CE topics are required for Nebraska dental hygienists?
- Infection control continuing education: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Continuing education in each expanded function permit area: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dental hygienists who hold an expanded function permit, for example the restorative Level I or Level II permit). Citations: infection control continuing education (172 NAC 57, 006.05(E)) and continuing education in each expanded function permit area (172 NAC 57, 006.05(F)).
- Do Nebraska dental hygienists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates. No approving body and no pre-approval. 172 NAC 57, 006.02 says the Board of Dentistry does not pre-approve continuing education programs or activities. 006.03 sets the criteria: at least 50 minutes long, objectives related to the practice of dental hygiene, a presenter qualified by education, experience or training, open to all licensed dental hygienists who meet the prerequisites, and a provider process for verifying attendance that issues a certificate naming the program, participant and license number, provider, dates and hours.
- Is the first Nebraska RDH renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Nebraska does not require continuing education for a RDH's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Dental Hygienist, Nebraska DHHS Licensure UnitState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Title 172 chapter text served as HTML by the Nebraska Rules and Regulations site, including 172 NAC 57 Licensure of Dental Hygienists (effective 2024-06-02) and 172 NAC 10Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Title 172, Professional and Occupational Licensure, Nebraska Rules and RegulationsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renew a Professional License, Nebraska DHHSState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Nebraska licenses dental hygienists through the same Board of Dentistry as dentists, under a separate rule chapter. Every figure here was read in 172 NAC 57, section 006, not carried over from the dentist chapter: 30 hours in the preceding 24 months, the 10 hour home study cap, the 2 hour infection control minimum, the 2 hour per expanded function permit minimum, and the no carryover sentence. The March 1 odd numbered year expiration is in 172 NAC 57, section 005, and is repeated on the DHHS dental hygienist page. The first renewal waiver comes from 172 NAC 10, 004.03(B), which waives continuing competency for credential holders first credentialed within the 24 months immediately before the renewal date. Gaps: the DHHS dental hygienist page carries no continuing education section, so unlike the dentist page it does not state a records retention period or describe the post renewal random audit, and 172 NAC 57 states neither, so retention_years and audited are left null. The opiate prescribing education in Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145 names nurse midwives, dentists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, podiatrists and veterinarians who prescribe controlled substances; dental hygienists are not on that list and 172 NAC 57 carries no opioid provision, so no opioid topic is recorded. Nebraska publishes its administrative code as PDFs through the Secretary of State, but rules.nebraska.gov serves the same chapters as HTML through its public chapter endpoint, which is what was read here, so no PDF was downloaded. The topic key 'expanded_function' is not in the canonical list and is used for the permit scoped subject mandate.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Nebraska Board of Dentistry, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.