Nebraska Dentist license renewal and CE requirements
Nebraska dentists 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 dentistry licenses and permits 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 reinstatement application.
Summary
Nebraska dentists 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 dentistry licenses and permits 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 reinstatement application. Nebraska also mandates specific subjects. Infection control continuing education: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Prescribing opiates and the prescription drug monitoring program: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists who prescribe controlled substances). Anesthesia or sedation administration and management for the dental office: 6 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists holding any level of sedation 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 Dentist 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 dental clinic education of students (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 |
30 hours in the 24 months before the March 1 expiration, set by 172 NAC 56, 007. Credits above 30 in a renewal period do not carry over. Home study is capped at 10 hours per renewal period, and an interactive webinar that lets the participant interact with the presenter is not treated as home study, so it is not caught by that cap. CPR is handled differently than in most states: Nebraska lists CPR certification as an acceptable continuing education activity rather than a standing condition, and it counts toward the 30 hours, up to 10 hours for initial certification or 4 hours for recertification. A dentist who holds any level of sedation permit owes a minimum of 6 hours in anesthesia or sedation administration and management, and moderate and general sedation permits also require a minimum of 8 hours in a hands on American Heart Association ACLS course; those permits are separate credentials and their hours sit inside the same 30 hour renewal period rather than adding a separate total.
Required CE topics for Nebraska dentists
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 56, 007.04(E) |
| Prescribing opiates and the prescription drug monitoring programThree hours biennially covering prescribing and administering opiates, the risks and indicators of opiate addiction, and emergency opiate situations, of which one half hour must cover the prescription drug monitoring program. Applies to renewal periods on or after October 1, 2018, and the statute says this subsection terminates on January 1, 2029. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | dentists who prescribe controlled substances | Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145; 172 NAC 56, 007.04(F) |
| Anesthesia or sedation administration and management for the dental officeMinimum 6 hours for any sedation permit level. Moderate and general sedation permit holders additionally need a minimum of 8 hours in a hands on American Heart Association ACLS course. The sedation permit is a separate credential from the dental license. | 6 contact hours | Every renewal | dentists holding any level of sedation permit | 172 NAC 56, 007.04(G) and 007.04(H) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | No named approving body. 172 NAC 56, 007.01 lists the acceptable sources, and 007.02 sets the criteria an activity must meet: at least 50 minutes long, objectives related to the practice of dentistry, a presenter qualified by education, experience or training, open to all licensed dentists 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 DDS/DMD need to renew?
- Nebraska dentists 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 56, 007. Credits above 30 in a renewal period do not carry over. Home study is capped at 10 hours per renewal period, and an interactive webinar that lets the participant interact with the presenter is not treated as home study, so it is not caught by that cap. CPR is handled differently than in most states: Nebraska lists CPR certification as an acceptable continuing education activity rather than a standing condition, and it counts toward the 30 hours, up to 10 hours for initial certification or 4 hours for recertification. A dentist who holds any level of sedation permit owes a minimum of 6 hours in anesthesia or sedation administration and management, and moderate and general sedation permits also require a minimum of 8 hours in a hands on American Heart Association ACLS course; those permits are separate credentials and their hours sit inside the same 30 hour renewal period rather than adding a separate total.
- How often does a Nebraska DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?
- Dentist licenses in Nebraska renew every two years. All Nebraska dentistry licenses and permits 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 reinstatement application.
- What specific CE topics are required for Nebraska dentists?
- Infection control continuing education: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Prescribing opiates and the prescription drug monitoring program: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists who prescribe controlled substances). Anesthesia or sedation administration and management for the dental office: 6 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists holding any level of sedation permit). Citations: infection control continuing education (172 NAC 56, 007.04(E)), prescribing opiates and the prescription drug monitoring program (Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145; 172 NAC 56, 007.04(F)), and anesthesia or sedation administration and management for the dental office (172 NAC 56, 007.04(G) and 007.04(H)).
- Do Nebraska dentists 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 4 years. No named approving body. 172 NAC 56, 007.01 lists the acceptable sources, and 007.02 sets the criteria an activity must meet: at least 50 minutes long, objectives related to the practice of dentistry, a presenter qualified by education, experience or training, open to all licensed dentists 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 DDS/DMD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Nebraska does not require continuing education for a DDS/DMD's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Dentist, 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 56 Licensure of Dentists (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
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145, continuing competency requirements including opiate prescribing educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renew a Professional License, Nebraska DHHSState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Nebraska has one Board of Dentistry covering dentists and dental hygienists, and the department, not the board, issues the credential. The 30 hour total, the 10 hour home study cap, the 2 hour infection control minimum, the no carryover sentence and the sedation permit minimums were read in 172 NAC 56, section 007, and the March 1 odd numbered year expiration in 172 NAC 56, section 005. The hygienist requirement was read separately in 172 NAC 57, section 006, which also sets 30 hours; the two figures match but each was read in its own chapter rather than one being inferred from the other, and the caps underneath them differ. The four year retention and the post renewal random audit are stated on the DHHS dentist 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; 004.03(A) also waives it during active military service. 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 'anesthesia' is not in the canonical list and is used for the sedation permit 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.