Oklahoma Dentist license renewal and CE requirements
Oklahoma dentists must complete 40 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry.
Every license begins January 1 and expires December 31. On or before the last day of December each year a dentist must submit a completed renewal application with the annual renewal fee. Continuing education is on a separate two year clock and is not reported every year. If the fee is not paid within two months after January 1 the Board gives notice that the license will be cancelled as of April 1.
Summary
Oklahoma dentists must complete 40 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. Every license begins January 1 and expires December 31. On or before the last day of December each year a dentist must submit a completed renewal application with the annual renewal fee. Continuing education is on a separate two year clock and is not reported every year. If the fee is not paid within two months after January 1 the Board gives notice that the license will be cancelled as of April 1. Oklahoma also mandates specific subjects. Opioid and scheduled drug prescribing classes: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists only). Ethics class approved by the Board: required every renewal cycle. Live, in-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation class approved by the Board: required every renewal cycle. No more than 20 contact hours may be self-study or online.
Oklahoma 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 | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 40 contact hoursCounted over a two-year window, separate from the renewal cycle. |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 20 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Classes at a CODA accredited university, college or technology center, counted as the credit hours shown on the transcript; Teaching at a CODA accredited school, with one hour of credit per 18 hours of clinical instruction; Publishing papers, presenting clinics and lecturing, six credit hours per hour of original presentation, capped at 50 percent of the total required hours; Uncompensated volunteer work at a Board approved event, up to 7 hours for a dentist; Practice management related courses, up to 4 hours for a dentist; Organized study clubs; Health related programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Forces at a government facility |
A dentist owes 40 hours with no more than 20 of them completed online (59 O.S. 328.41(D)(1)). That is a separate figure from the dental hygienist total of 20 hours with no more than 10 online, which the same subsection states independently. The statute defines the requirement as consisting of a live in-person CPR class approved by the Board, a Board approved ethics class, two hours of opioid and scheduled drug prescribing for a dentist, and any combination of the listed activities, so CPR and ethics are components of the 40 hours rather than requirements outside it. The Board may count interactive or webinar classes as in-person. The current reporting period runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 and hours are reported through CE Broker, which the Board began using on July 1, 2025. Failure to report the required CE draws a $1,000 fine for a dentist. New graduates are not required to complete continuing education for the first year after graduation; their requirement begins July 1 of the calendar year following graduation and hours are prorated by year of new licensure. Dentists in full time CODA accredited graduate study, internships or residencies are exempt for a continuing education year per academic year completed, and a dentist on full time active duty deployed outside the United States for at least 18 months of a two year cycle is exempt.
Required CE topics for Oklahoma dentists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid and scheduled drug prescribing classesThe statute imposes this on dentists and does not extend it to dental hygienists. A newly licensed dentist must also complete a two hour opioid and scheduled drug prescribing class within one year of obtaining licensure under 59 O.S. 328.41(D)(4). | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | dentists only | 59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(c) |
| Ethics class approved by the BoardThe statute names the ethics class as part of what the continuing education requirement consists of but does not state a number of hours for it. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(b) |
| Live, in-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation class approved by the BoardRecorded here as a mandated subject because the statute makes the CPR class part of what the continuing education requirement consists of rather than a separate condition of renewal. The Board's continuing education page states the class must be live and in person with a live hands-on compression section, and that a fully online CPR course is not accepted. No number of hours is stated. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(a) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The CPR class and the ethics class must be approved by the Board, and the other qualifying activities are the categories listed in 59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(d). Since July 1, 2025 hours are reported through CE Broker at cebroker.com. The Board conducts an audit at the end of the reporting period and audited licensees must produce proof of completion. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Oklahoma DDS/DMD need to renew?
- Oklahoma dentists must complete 40 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. A dentist owes 40 hours with no more than 20 of them completed online (59 O.S. 328.41(D)(1)). That is a separate figure from the dental hygienist total of 20 hours with no more than 10 online, which the same subsection states independently. The statute defines the requirement as consisting of a live in-person CPR class approved by the Board, a Board approved ethics class, two hours of opioid and scheduled drug prescribing for a dentist, and any combination of the listed activities, so CPR and ethics are components of the 40 hours rather than requirements outside it. The Board may count interactive or webinar classes as in-person. The current reporting period runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 and hours are reported through CE Broker, which the Board began using on July 1, 2025. Failure to report the required CE draws a $1,000 fine for a dentist. New graduates are not required to complete continuing education for the first year after graduation; their requirement begins July 1 of the calendar year following graduation and hours are prorated by year of new licensure. Dentists in full time CODA accredited graduate study, internships or residencies are exempt for a continuing education year per academic year completed, and a dentist on full time active duty deployed outside the United States for at least 18 months of a two year cycle is exempt.
- How often does a Oklahoma DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?
- Dentist licenses in Oklahoma renew every year. Every license begins January 1 and expires December 31. On or before the last day of December each year a dentist must submit a completed renewal application with the annual renewal fee. Continuing education is on a separate two year clock and is not reported every year. If the fee is not paid within two months after January 1 the Board gives notice that the license will be cancelled as of April 1.
- What specific CE topics are required for Oklahoma dentists?
- Opioid and scheduled drug prescribing classes: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists only). Ethics class approved by the Board: required every renewal cycle. Live, in-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation class approved by the Board: required every renewal cycle. Citations: opioid and scheduled drug prescribing classes (59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(c)), ethics class approved by the Board (59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(b)), and live, in-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation class approved by the Board (59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(a)).
- Do Oklahoma dentists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. The CPR class and the ethics class must be approved by the Board, and the other qualifying activities are the categories listed in 59 O.S. 328.41(C)(1)(d). Since July 1, 2025 hours are reported through CE Broker at cebroker.com. The Board conducts an audit at the end of the reporting period and audited licensees must produce proof of completion.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 59 O.S. 328.41, Annual Renewal, Continuing Education, Active Duty Military Service Exemption, Reinstatement (Oklahoma Statutes Citationized, OSCN)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Continuing Education, Oklahoma Board of DentistryState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renewals, Oklahoma Board of DentistryState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Statutes and Rules, Oklahoma Board of DentistryState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Hours, the online cap, the CPR, ethics and opioid components, the annual December 31 renewal, the two year continuing education period, the activity caps and the new graduate proration were all read in the text of 59 O.S. 328.41 on OSCN, which the Board's own statutes and rules page names as the official version of the State Dental Act. The reporting period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, the CE Broker requirement, the live hands-on CPR condition and the $1,000 penalty were read on the Board's continuing education page. The Board's administrative rules, OAC 195, are published on rules.ok.gov and as a PDF on the Board site; neither was opened and no value in this record depends on them, so any rule level detail such as record retention is left null. The statute states no carryover rule and no self-study cap other than the online cap and the 50 percent limit on publishing and presenting.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.