Nevada Dentist license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Nevada dentists must complete 40 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Board of Dental Examiners of Nevada. A general Nevada dental license renews every two years, and the renewal must be complete on or before June 30. Missing that June 30 deadline automatically suspends the license, which can then be reinstated only by paying the reinstatement fee and meeting the renewal requirements; a suspension that runs 12 months without reinstatement automatically revokes the license. Limited, restricted and specialty licenses issued under NRS 631.271, 631.2715 and 631.275 renew every year instead, and their holders owe the annual rather than the biennial continuing education total. Nevada also mandates specific subjects. Infection control, in accordance with the CDC guidelines adopted by reference in NAC 631.178: 4 contact hours every renewal cycle. Misuse and abuse of controlled substances, prescribing of opioids, or addiction: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists registered to dispense controlled substances under NRS 453.231). Medical consequences of an act of terrorism involving a weapon of mass destruction: a one-time requirement of 4 contact hours (every licensee, within two years after initial licensure). Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment approach to substance use disorder: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (every licensee, within two years after initial licensure). No more than 20 contact hours may be self-study or online and hours do not carry over between cycles.

Nevada 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.

A dentist on the standard biennial license owes at least 40 hours per two year period under NAC 631.173(1); the same rule sets 20 hours a year for a dentist whose license type renews annually. Hours cannot be transferred or carried over from one licensing period to the next. The 30 hour figure recorded in category_1_minimum is Nevada's own category split, not an AMA category: NAC 631.175(2) requires at least 30 of the 40 biennial hours to be in clinical subjects, which the rule defines as dental and medical health, preventive services, dental diagnosis and treatment planning, and dental clinical procedures. Home study, online study, self-study and journal study together are capped at 50 percent of the required hours, which is 20 hours on the biennial cycle. CPR is not part of the 40: NAC 631.173(4) requires current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or another medically acceptable means of maintaining basic bodily functions in addition to the hours of instruction, taught by a certified instructor, and NAC 631.177(1)(d) requires proof of that certification to be submitted with the renewal. Two one time requirements land on new licensees within two years after initial licensure and count as part of continuing education: a 4 hour course on the medical consequences of an act of terrorism involving a weapon of mass destruction, and 2 hours of training in the screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment approach to substance use disorder. Holders of an inactive license, and licensees who are retired or have a disability, are exempt from continuing education under NRS 631.343.

Required CE topics for Nevada dentists

State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.

Documentation and audit

Common questions

How many CE hours does a Nevada DDS/DMD need to renew?

Nevada dentists must complete 40 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Board of Dental Examiners of Nevada. A dentist on the standard biennial license owes at least 40 hours per two year period under NAC 631.173(1); the same rule sets 20 hours a year for a dentist whose license type renews annually. Hours cannot be transferred or carried over from one licensing period to the next. The 30 hour figure recorded in category_1_minimum is Nevada's own category split, not an AMA category: NAC 631.175(2) requires at least 30 of the 40 biennial hours to be in clinical subjects, which the rule defines as dental and medical health, preventive services, dental diagnosis and treatment planning, and dental clinical procedures. Home study, online study, self-study and journal study together are capped at 50 percent of the required hours, which is 20 hours on the biennial cycle. CPR is not part of the 40: NAC 631.173(4) requires current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or another medically acceptable means of maintaining basic bodily functions in addition to the hours of instruction, taught by a certified instructor, and NAC 631.177(1)(d) requires proof of that certification to be submitted with the renewal. Two one time requirements land on new licensees within two years after initial licensure and count as part of continuing education: a 4 hour course on the medical consequences of an act of terrorism involving a weapon of mass destruction, and 2 hours of training in the screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment approach to substance use disorder. Holders of an inactive license, and licensees who are retired or have a disability, are exempt from continuing education under NRS 631.343.

How often does a Nevada DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?

Dentist licenses in Nevada renew every two years. A general Nevada dental license renews every two years, and the renewal must be complete on or before June 30. Missing that June 30 deadline automatically suspends the license, which can then be reinstated only by paying the reinstatement fee and meeting the renewal requirements; a suspension that runs 12 months without reinstatement automatically revokes the license. Limited, restricted and specialty licenses issued under NRS 631.271, 631.2715 and 631.275 renew every year instead, and their holders owe the annual rather than the biennial continuing education total.

What specific CE topics are required for Nevada dentists?

Infection control, in accordance with the CDC guidelines adopted by reference in NAC 631.178: 4 contact hours every renewal cycle. Misuse and abuse of controlled substances, prescribing of opioids, or addiction: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists registered to dispense controlled substances under NRS 453.231). Medical consequences of an act of terrorism involving a weapon of mass destruction: a one-time requirement of 4 contact hours (every licensee, within two years after initial licensure). Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment approach to substance use disorder: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (every licensee, within two years after initial licensure). Citations: infection control, in accordance with the CDC guidelines adopted by reference in NAC 631.178 (NAC 631.175(4)), misuse and abuse of controlled substances, prescribing of opioids, or addiction (NAC 631.175(5)), medical consequences of an act of terrorism involving a weapon of mass destruction (NRS 631.342(2) and (3)), and screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment approach to substance use disorder (NRS 631.342(5)).

Do Nevada 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 3 years. The provider or instructor must be approved by the Board unless the course is CPR training or is approved by the American Dental Association or its component societies, the American Dental Hygienists' Association or its component societies, the Academy of General Dentistry, a nationally recognized association of dental or medical specialists, any university, college or community college in or out of Nevada, or a hospital accredited by The Joint Commission. An instructor seeking board approval files the board's form at least 45 days before the course begins.

Sources

Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• NAC Chapter 631, Dentistry and Dental Hygiene, Nevada Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• NRS Chapter 631, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy and Expanded Function Dental AssistanceStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• Program Support Services, continuing education, Board of Dental Examiners of NevadaState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• Board of Dental Examiners of NevadaState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

One board, the Board of Dental Examiners of Nevada, licenses dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and expanded function dental assistants, and NAC 631.173 sets a different total for each in its own numbered subsection. The dentist figure of 40 biennial hours was read in NAC 631.173(1) and the hygienist figure of 30 biennial hours in NAC 631.173(3); the clinical subject minimums in NAC 631.175(2) and (3) are likewise separate. The biennial renewal and the June 30 deadline come from NRS 631.330, which renews the general license every two years and renews only the limited, restricted and specialty licenses under NRS 631.271, 631.2715 and 631.275 annually, which is why NAC 631.173 states both an annual and a biennial total. Retention of three years, the random initial audits and follow up audits, and the signed certification submitted at renewal come from NAC 631.177. CPR sits outside the hour total by the plain words of NAC 631.173(4), 'in addition to the hours of instruction', so it is described in the CE notes rather than listed as a mandatory topic, though proof of it is filed with the renewal. The topic keys 'bioterrorism' and 'substance_use_screening' are not in the canonical list and are used for the two NRS 631.342 one time courses. Nevada also requires biennial immunization related continuing education of licensees holding a special endorsement under NRS 631.285; that endorsement is a separate credential and its hours are not folded into this record. The board's own continuing education page repeats the 40 and 30 hour totals, the clinical minimums, the infection control minimum, the 50 percent distance study cap, the three year retention and the no carryover rule, and adds that volunteering counts against the same 50 percent cap.