North Dakota Dentist license renewal and CE requirements
North Dakota dentists must complete 32 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners.
Dentists renew every two years by December 31 of an odd-numbered year, and the renewal fee covers the following 24 months. Renewal notices go out by email on November 1, but the license still expires on December 31 whether or not the notice arrives. A dentist who misses the date may renew late for 60 days with a late fee and may not practice during that window, and may still late renew for up to one year after expiration with further fees. A dentist licensed part way through a cycle still has to renew at the next December 31 deadline. A license may instead be placed on inactive status, which is renewed annually by December 31 with a smaller fee and no continuing education.
Summary
North Dakota dentists must complete 32 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners. Dentists renew every two years by December 31 of an odd-numbered year, and the renewal fee covers the following 24 months. Renewal notices go out by email on November 1, but the license still expires on December 31 whether or not the notice arrives. A dentist who misses the date may renew late for 60 days with a late fee and may not practice during that window, and may still late renew for up to one year after expiration with further fees. A dentist licensed part way through a cycle still has to renew at the next December 31 deadline. A license may instead be placed on inactive status, which is renewed annually by December 31 with a smaller fee and no continuing education. North Dakota also mandates specific subjects. Ethics or jurisprudence: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Infection control: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation course: required every renewal cycle. Sedation or anesthesia, plus anesthesia emergencies: 8 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists who hold a sedation or anesthesia permit). No more than 16 contact hours may be self-study or online and the first renewal is exempt.
North Dakota 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, 12/31 each cycleFirst renewal is not prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 32 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 16 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Publications; Seminars, symposiums and lectures; College courses; Online education that allows real-time interaction with the proctor |
N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06 sets the dentist minimum at 32 hours within a two-year cycle, of which no more than 16 may be self-study. The board's own continuing education page publishes the same pair, 32 total and 16 self-study for dentists, next to 16 total and 8 self-study for dental hygienists, so the two credentials are set separately. Self-study means learning without a proctor or without real-time interaction with one, for example a pre-recorded online program or self-paced printed material. A live webinar with real-time interaction counts as live rather than self-study, so there is no cap on live remote attendance. Credit accrues one hour per hour, and subject matter directly related to clinical dentistry is accepted without limit. No more than two hours may relate to practice management or the administrative side of dentistry, against one hour for hygienists. Merely registering at a dental convention without attending presentations earns nothing. Certificates must name the provider, the date and the hours, must say so if the course was a webinar, and must be signed by the proctor for proctored courses. CPR is counted here rather than excluded: the rule lists a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course among the things the continuing education must include, and separately requires every dentist to hold a current CPR certificate. Sedation and anesthesia permit holders must also carry ACLS or PALS as their patient population requires, and from January 1, 2028 must complete an approved anesthesia simulation training course and repeat it every five years. A dentist on inactive status owes no continuing education.
Required CE topics for North Dakota dentists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics or jurisprudenceAt least two of the 32 hours must be ethics or jurisprudence. Passing the board's laws and rules examination is the equivalent of two hours of ethics or jurisprudence, and the board hosts that examination on its own site. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(a) |
| Infection controlAt least two of the 32 hours must be infection control. Same figure as the hygienist rule. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(b) |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation courseThe rule lists a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course among the required content of the 32 hours, so unlike most states North Dakota treats it as continuing education rather than only as a side condition. The course must provide hands-on training. Subsection 5 separately requires all dentists to hold a current CPR certificate, and requires ACLS or PALS for general anesthesia, deep sedation and moderate sedation providers and basic life support for dentists who use minimal sedation. The rule states no fixed number of CPR hours. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(c) and (5) |
| Sedation or anesthesia, plus anesthesia emergenciesPermit holders must include at least six hours related to sedation or anesthesia and at least two hours related to anesthesia emergencies based on actual adverse anesthesia events or actual closed insurance claims, which is 8 hours combined. The rule places these inside the required content of the 32 hours rather than on top of them, so they are recorded here rather than as a separate permit total, but they reach only permit holders. Content offered by insurance providers or board licensees may be approved by the board. | 8 contact hours | Every renewal | Dentists who hold a sedation or anesthesia permit | N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(d) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 2 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The rule does not restrict hours to a list of approved providers. It instead sets documentation standards: certificates must indicate the name of the continuing education provider, the date and the number of hours, certificates from webinar courses must indicate the course was a webinar, and the certificate for a proctored course must be signed by the proctor. The board offers a continuing education reporting form for tracking but states it is not required and need not be submitted. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a North Dakota DDS/DMD need to renew?
- North Dakota dentists must complete 32 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners. N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06 sets the dentist minimum at 32 hours within a two-year cycle, of which no more than 16 may be self-study. The board's own continuing education page publishes the same pair, 32 total and 16 self-study for dentists, next to 16 total and 8 self-study for dental hygienists, so the two credentials are set separately. Self-study means learning without a proctor or without real-time interaction with one, for example a pre-recorded online program or self-paced printed material. A live webinar with real-time interaction counts as live rather than self-study, so there is no cap on live remote attendance. Credit accrues one hour per hour, and subject matter directly related to clinical dentistry is accepted without limit. No more than two hours may relate to practice management or the administrative side of dentistry, against one hour for hygienists. Merely registering at a dental convention without attending presentations earns nothing. Certificates must name the provider, the date and the hours, must say so if the course was a webinar, and must be signed by the proctor for proctored courses. CPR is counted here rather than excluded: the rule lists a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course among the things the continuing education must include, and separately requires every dentist to hold a current CPR certificate. Sedation and anesthesia permit holders must also carry ACLS or PALS as their patient population requires, and from January 1, 2028 must complete an approved anesthesia simulation training course and repeat it every five years. A dentist on inactive status owes no continuing education.
- How often does a North Dakota DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?
- Dentist licenses in North Dakota renew every two years. Dentists renew every two years by December 31 of an odd-numbered year, and the renewal fee covers the following 24 months. Renewal notices go out by email on November 1, but the license still expires on December 31 whether or not the notice arrives. A dentist who misses the date may renew late for 60 days with a late fee and may not practice during that window, and may still late renew for up to one year after expiration with further fees. A dentist licensed part way through a cycle still has to renew at the next December 31 deadline. A license may instead be placed on inactive status, which is renewed annually by December 31 with a smaller fee and no continuing education.
- What specific CE topics are required for North Dakota dentists?
- Ethics or jurisprudence: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Infection control: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation course: required every renewal cycle. Sedation or anesthesia, plus anesthesia emergencies: 8 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists who hold a sedation or anesthesia permit). Citations: ethics or jurisprudence (N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(a)), infection control (N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(b)), cardiopulmonary resuscitation course (N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(c) and (5)), and sedation or anesthesia, plus anesthesia emergencies (N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06(3)(d)).
- Do North Dakota 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 2 years. The rule does not restrict hours to a list of approved providers. It instead sets documentation standards: certificates must indicate the name of the continuing education provider, the date and the number of hours, certificates from webinar courses must indicate the course was a webinar, and the certificate for a proctored course must be signed by the proctor. The board offers a continuing education reporting form for tracking but states it is not required and need not be submitted.
- Is the first North Dakota DDS/DMD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. North Dakota 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 Overview, North Dakota Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- License and Registration Renewal, North Dakota Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- N.D. Admin. Code 20-02-01-06, Continuing dental education for dentists (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- N.D. Admin. Code 20-04-01-08, Continuing dental education for dental hygienists (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
North Dakota runs one regulator, the North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners, for dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants, but each credential has its own continuing education rule: 20-02-01-06 for dentists, 20-04-01-08 for dental hygienists and 20-03-01-06 for assistants. Both dental rules were read in full and separately. The 32 hour dentist total, the 16 hour self-study cap and the December 31 odd-year deadline all appear on the board's own site, which satisfies the official host standard; the North Dakota Administrative Code is published on ndlegis.gov only as PDF, which was not fetched, so the rule text was read on the Cornell LII mirror and is cited as a supporting third party source for the mandated subjects, the audit and the retention period. The board's page also states the hygienist pair, 16 total and 8 self-study, on the same table, so the dentist and hygienist figures were compared rather than derived. The rule states no carryover provision, no category 1 minimum and no live or interactive minimum. Retention is recorded as 2 years because the rule requires keeping certificates from the previous renewal cycle, which is one two-year cycle. First renewal is exempt from continuing education for new graduates licensed by examination within 24 months of the renewal deadline, but the license term is not prorated: the board states a renewal application and fee are required regardless of when in the two-year period the license was issued. The mandatory topic keys cpr_certification, sedation_anesthesia 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 North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.