New York Dentist license renewal and CE requirements
New York dentists must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education every three years to renew their license with the New York State Board for Dentistry, New York State Education Department Office of the Professions.
A New York dental license is good for life, but practice requires a current registration, and the registration certificate runs three years. Registration periods are adjusted so that renewals fall in the licensee's birth month. The Office of the Professions mails a renewal application with a PIN about four months before the registration expires, and online renewal is open during the final five months of the period and for up to four months after it ends. A dentist who is not practicing in New York can register inactive at no charge instead of paying the fee. A dentist who has not finished the required continuing education may ask for a one-year conditional registration.
Summary
Requirements are changing. New York's mandated child abuse identification and reporting training is mid-transition. Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024 added content on identifying abused or maltreated children with intellectual or developmental disabilities and requires mandated reporters, including dentists who already took the earlier course, to complete the updated curriculum by November 17, 2026. Anyone who took the training between November 1, 2022 and August 31, 2025 can close the gap with a short addendum through most approved providers. Confirm your own status with the Office of the Professions before you attest at registration.
New York dentists must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education every three years to renew their license with the New York State Board for Dentistry, New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. A New York dental license is good for life, but practice requires a current registration, and the registration certificate runs three years. Registration periods are adjusted so that renewals fall in the licensee's birth month. The Office of the Professions mails a renewal application with a PIN about four months before the registration expires, and online renewal is open during the final five months of the period and for up to four months after it ends. A dentist who is not practicing in New York can register inactive at no charge instead of paying the fee. A dentist who has not finished the required continuing education may ask for a one-year conditional registration. New York also mandates specific subjects. Infection control and barrier precautions training: required on a periodic schedule set by the board. Identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification: required every renewal cycle. New York State dental jurisprudence and ethics: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (dentists, during the first registration period beginning on or after January 1, 2008 in which they have a continuing education requirement). Oral health effects of tobacco and tobacco products: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (dentists, during the first registration period after January 1, 2002 in which they have a continuing education requirement). Pain management, palliative care and addiction: 3 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board (dentists who hold a DEA registration number to prescribe controlled substances). No more than 18 contact hours may be self-study or online, hours do not carry over between cycles, and the first renewal is exempt.
New York 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 | Three-year (36 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth monthFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 60 contact hours |
| Live or interactive minimum | 42 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 18 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Teaching a continuing education course in an appropriate subject area from an approved sponsor, up to 7 hours per triennial registration period; Initial EMT Basic course up to 10 hours and EMT Basic recertification up to 5 hours; Registered or accredited residency programs; Mandatory infection control training from a New York State approved provider; Mandatory child abuse identification and reporting training from a NYSED approved provider, 2 hours; CPR, ACLS and PALS coursework, up to 12 hours per triennial period |
New York regulates dentistry through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions rather than a standalone licensing board, and unlike New York medicine and nursing, dentistry does carry a continuing education requirement. Education Law requires dentists to complete 60 contact hours in each three-year registration period. Dental hygienists owe 24 contact hours in the same three-year period, a separate figure set in the same law. A contact hour is at least 50 minutes; where a sponsor reports CEUs, one CEU equals 10 contact hours, and one college semester hour equals 15 contact hours. Hours cannot be carried from one registration period to the next and there is no per-year minimum. New York does not divide courses by physical or virtual setting; it divides them into live and self-study, where a live course is one in which the licensee can interact with the instructor, including an interactive telecourse or computerized course. Dentists must take at least seven tenths of their hours live, which is 42 of 60, leaving at most 18 hours of self-study; hygienists must take seven twelfths live, 14 of 24. Practice management, accounting, finance, statistics and internet skills are not acceptable subjects. Credit is not given for life or work experience, informal study clubs run by unapproved sponsors, studying on your own, research, journal writing, video making, or faculty teaching. CPR does count here, and generously: a dentist may count up to 12 hours of CPR coursework per registration period, valuing a CPR course at up to 3 hours, a CPR course with AED training at up to 4.5 hours, an initial ACLS or PALS course at up to 12 hours and an ACLS recertification at up to 6 hours. A licensee in the first three-year registration period owes no continuing education unless licensed by endorsement of another jurisdiction's license, in which case it applies immediately. A shortened registration period is prorated: multiply the number of months by 1.667 for a dentist, against 0.67 for a hygienist. Inactive registrants who reactivate owe a full triennium of hours.
Required CE topics for New York 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 and barrier precautions trainingDentists and dental hygienists must both complete state approved course work on infection control and barrier precautions, including engineering and work controls to prevent transmission of HIV and hepatitis B, every four years, not every registration period. The provider must use the department's prescribed syllabus and cover the seven core elements approved jointly by the State Education Department and the Department of Health. The licensee attests to completion on the first licensure or registration application and at every subsequent registration, and keeps the Certification of Completion rather than filing it. Hours count toward the continuing education total. An exemption is available on Form 1IC based on the nature of the practice, and a licensee not currently practicing in New York has 90 days after resuming practice to complete it. The rule states no minimum number of hours. | Not stated | Periodic | All licensees | N.Y. Education Law 6505-b |
| Identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatmentA two hour course from a NYSED approved provider, and the hours count toward the continuing education total. Historically a one-time requirement at licensure, but two amendments have forced retraining of everyone who took the earlier version: Chapter 56 of 2021 added implicit bias, adverse childhood experiences and recognizing abuse during virtual interaction, with an April 1, 2025 deadline, and Chapter 25 of 2024 added identifying abused or maltreated children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, with a November 17, 2026 deadline. Someone who trained between November 1, 2022 and August 31, 2025 can complete a short addendum instead of the full course. The same requirement applies to dental hygienists. | 2 contact hours | One time | All licensees | N.Y. Social Services Law 413, as amended by Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2021 and Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024 |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation certificationSince January 1, 2009 every dentist must achieve CPR certification and maintain it continuously from that point forward. This is a dentist-only requirement: the Office of the Professions lists it under the courses all dentists must take, and it does not appear among the requirements for dental hygienists, though hygienists may still count CPR toward their hours. The course must be live and in person, from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Heart Saver Institute, American Safety and Health Institute, National Safety Council, ProTrainings LLC, or the Emergency Care and Safety Institute, and must cover scene survey, patient assessment, one and two rescuer CPR, mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-mask resuscitation, conscious and unconscious choking, bag-valve-mask resuscitation, the recovery position, AED use, infection control matters, recognizing a heart attack, and CPR and AED scenarios. A dentist physically incapable of performing CPR can be excepted with a physician's statement and an application verifying that someone else certified will be present while patients are treated. Up to 12 hours of CPR, ACLS and PALS coursework count toward the 60 hours. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | Office of the Professions continuing education requirements for dentists, question 13 |
| New York State dental jurisprudence and ethicsA one-time three hour course covering the laws, rules, regulations and ethical principles for practicing dentistry in New York, which must be approved by the Department because of that state-specific content. Dental hygienists have no counterpart requirement. | 3 contact hours | One time | Dentists, during the first registration period beginning on or after January 1, 2008 in which they have a continuing education requirement | Office of the Professions continuing education requirements for dentists, questions 13 and 15 |
| Oral health effects of tobacco and tobacco productsA one-time two hour course covering the chemical and related effects and usage of tobacco and tobacco products and the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of the oral health effects of tobacco, including cancers and other diseases, from an approved sponsor. A dentist who can document a qualifying two hour course completed after February 27, 1997 is treated as having met it. Dental hygienists have no counterpart requirement. The canonical topic list in the brief has no tobacco key, so a short snake_case key is used. | 2 contact hours | One time | Dentists, during the first registration period after January 1, 2002 in which they have a continuing education requirement | Office of the Professions continuing education requirements for dentists, questions 13 and 14 |
| Pain management, palliative care and addictionAt least three hours of course work or training in pain management, palliative care and addiction, required by July 1, 2017 and once every three years thereafter. This is a Department of Health requirement with its own attestation form rather than a State Education Department continuing education rule, and it is administered by the DOH Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. New York dental hygienists do not hold DEA registrations and the requirement does not reach them. | 3 contact hours | Periodic | Dentists who hold a DEA registration number to prescribe controlled substances | N.Y. Public Health Law 3309-a(3) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 6 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Courses must be formal courses in appropriate subject areas from approved sponsors. Sponsors may be approved by the American Dental Association's Continuing Education Recognition Program, the Academy of General Dentistry's Program Approval for Continuing Education with national approval, the New York State Dental Association, or the New York State Education Department. Degree-granting institutions registered by the State Education Department or accredited by an equivalent agency are approved sponsors for courses in their registered or accredited programs. For courses completed on or after January 1, 2000, a dentist must additionally verify that the sponsor has at least one employee working 30 hours a week or more, and that verification must be in the dentist's records. The two additional approving bodies for hygienists, the American Academy of Dental Hygiene and the New York Dental Hygienists' Association, do not approve sponsors for dentists. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a New York DDS/DMD need to renew?
- New York dentists must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education every three years to renew their license with the New York State Board for Dentistry, New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. New York regulates dentistry through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions rather than a standalone licensing board, and unlike New York medicine and nursing, dentistry does carry a continuing education requirement. Education Law requires dentists to complete 60 contact hours in each three-year registration period. Dental hygienists owe 24 contact hours in the same three-year period, a separate figure set in the same law. A contact hour is at least 50 minutes; where a sponsor reports CEUs, one CEU equals 10 contact hours, and one college semester hour equals 15 contact hours. Hours cannot be carried from one registration period to the next and there is no per-year minimum. New York does not divide courses by physical or virtual setting; it divides them into live and self-study, where a live course is one in which the licensee can interact with the instructor, including an interactive telecourse or computerized course. Dentists must take at least seven tenths of their hours live, which is 42 of 60, leaving at most 18 hours of self-study; hygienists must take seven twelfths live, 14 of 24. Practice management, accounting, finance, statistics and internet skills are not acceptable subjects. Credit is not given for life or work experience, informal study clubs run by unapproved sponsors, studying on your own, research, journal writing, video making, or faculty teaching. CPR does count here, and generously: a dentist may count up to 12 hours of CPR coursework per registration period, valuing a CPR course at up to 3 hours, a CPR course with AED training at up to 4.5 hours, an initial ACLS or PALS course at up to 12 hours and an ACLS recertification at up to 6 hours. A licensee in the first three-year registration period owes no continuing education unless licensed by endorsement of another jurisdiction's license, in which case it applies immediately. A shortened registration period is prorated: multiply the number of months by 1.667 for a dentist, against 0.67 for a hygienist. Inactive registrants who reactivate owe a full triennium of hours.
- How often does a New York DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?
- Dentist licenses in New York renew every three years. A New York dental license is good for life, but practice requires a current registration, and the registration certificate runs three years. Registration periods are adjusted so that renewals fall in the licensee's birth month. The Office of the Professions mails a renewal application with a PIN about four months before the registration expires, and online renewal is open during the final five months of the period and for up to four months after it ends. A dentist who is not practicing in New York can register inactive at no charge instead of paying the fee. A dentist who has not finished the required continuing education may ask for a one-year conditional registration.
- What specific CE topics are required for New York dentists?
- Infection control and barrier precautions training: required on a periodic schedule set by the board. Identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification: required every renewal cycle. New York State dental jurisprudence and ethics: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (dentists, during the first registration period beginning on or after January 1, 2008 in which they have a continuing education requirement). Oral health effects of tobacco and tobacco products: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (dentists, during the first registration period after January 1, 2002 in which they have a continuing education requirement). Pain management, palliative care and addiction: 3 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board (dentists who hold a DEA registration number to prescribe controlled substances). Citations: infection control and barrier precautions training (N.Y. Education Law 6505-b), identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment (N.Y. Social Services Law 413, as amended by Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2021 and Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024), cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification (Office of the Professions continuing education requirements for dentists, question 13), New York State dental jurisprudence and ethics (Office of the Professions continuing education requirements for dentists, questions 13 and 15), oral health effects of tobacco and tobacco products (Office of the Professions continuing education requirements for dentists, questions 13 and 14), and pain management, palliative care and addiction (N.Y. Public Health Law 3309-a(3)).
- Do New York 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 6 years. Courses must be formal courses in appropriate subject areas from approved sponsors. Sponsors may be approved by the American Dental Association's Continuing Education Recognition Program, the Academy of General Dentistry's Program Approval for Continuing Education with national approval, the New York State Dental Association, or the New York State Education Department. Degree-granting institutions registered by the State Education Department or accredited by an equivalent agency are approved sponsors for courses in their registered or accredited programs. For courses completed on or after January 1, 2000, a dentist must additionally verify that the sponsor has at least one employee working 30 hours a week or more, and that verification must be in the dentist's records. The two additional approving bodies for hygienists, the American Academy of Dental Hygiene and the New York Dental Hygienists' Association, do not approve sponsors for dentists.
- Is the first New York DDS/DMD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. New York 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.
- Continuing Education Questions and Answers for Dentists and Dental Hygienists, NYSED Office of the ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Mandated Training Related to Infection Control, NYSED Office of the ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Mandated Training Related to Child Abuse, Dentists, NYSED Office of the ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- New York State Department of Health Mandatory Prescriber Education, Dentists, NYSED Office of the ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Online Registration Renewal, NYSED Office of the ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Dentists, NYSED Office of the ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
New York regulates dentistry through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions and the State Board for Dentistry, which covers dentists, dental hygienists and registered dental assistants; there is no separate hygiene board. Unlike New York medicine and nursing, which have no general continuing education requirement, dentistry does have one, so the New York pattern in the rest of this dataset does not carry over. All values were read on op.nysed.gov, the official host. The 60 hour dentist total and the 24 hour hygienist total appear in the same paragraph of the shared continuing education Q and A, so they were read side by side, and the live minimums are stated as separate fractions, seven tenths for dentists and seven twelfths for hygienists, rather than a single rule. The self-study ceilings of 18 and 10 are the arithmetic complements of those stated live minimums, 60 minus 42 and 24 minus 14, and the page itself says the balance of the remaining hours may be self-study. CPR is the sharpest difference between the credentials: the mandate to achieve and maintain certification is written for dentists only, while the allowance to count up to 12 hours of CPR coursework is written for both. The tobacco and jurisprudence courses are also dentist-only. Infection control every four years and the child abuse training apply to both. The prescriber education requirement is a Department of Health rule under Public Health Law 3309-a, not a State Education Department continuing education rule, and is recorded with that scope. Records are kept six years, the licensee certifies completion on the renewal form rather than sending records, and random audits run every month. The board states it does not maintain or have access to any licensee's continuing education records. The mandatory topic keys cpr_certification, tobacco_oral_health are not on the canonical topic list in the brief, so short snake_case keys were used.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the New York State Board for Dentistry, New York State Education Department Office of the Professions before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.