Pennsylvania Dentist license renewal and CE requirements
Pennsylvania dentists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs.
Dentist licenses expire March 31 of every odd numbered year and are renewable for a two year period beginning April 1 of each odd numbered year. The current biennium runs April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2027. Renewal notices go out about 60 days before expiration. Maintaining current infant, child and adult CPR certification and completing the continuing education in Subchapter F are both conditions of renewal, and a dentist who does not renew may not practice in Pennsylvania.
Summary
Pennsylvania dentists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Dentist licenses expire March 31 of every odd numbered year and are renewable for a two year period beginning April 1 of each odd numbered year. The current biennium runs April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2027. Renewal notices go out about 60 days before expiration. Maintaining current infant, child and adult CPR certification and completing the continuing education in Subchapter F are both conditions of renewal, and a dentist who does not renew may not practice in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania also mandates specific subjects. Child abuse recognition and reporting: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. No more than 15 contact hours may be self-study or online and the first renewal is exempt.
Pennsylvania 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, 03/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Live or interactive minimum | 15 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 15 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Serving as an instructor, with two additional credit hours of preparation time awarded for each credit hour of instruction, subject to the 50 percent limit; Authoring a book, article or continuing education program; authors are awarded 50 percent of the required hours for an article published in a peer reviewed professional journal; Individual study |
A dentist owes 30 hours per biennium under 49 Pa. Code 33.401(a)(1). The same subsection sets 20 hours for a dental hygienist and 10 for an expanded function dental assistant, so the hygienist figure is stated independently and is not a fraction applied to the dentist figure. At least 50 percent of the required hours must be lecture or clinical presentations and no more than 50 percent may come from individual study, instructing or authoring, which works out to a 15 hour floor and a 15 hour ceiling for a dentist. CPR certification is a condition of renewal under 49 Pa. Code 33.105, but 33.402(a)(3) expressly excludes hours required for CPR certification from the acceptable emergency procedures subject area, so CPR does not count toward the 30. No credit is given for repeating a program in the same renewal period unless the subject matter substantially changed, and none is given for billing, office management, practice building, insurance reimbursement or communication skills. A licensee suspended for disciplinary reasons is not exempt. Hardship waivers are available on written request. The Board's dentist licensure snapshot also notes the separate federal requirement that practitioners applying for or renewing a DEA registration have at least eight hours of training on substance use disorders or pain management; that is a DEA condition, not a Board continuing education mandate.
Required CE topics for Pennsylvania dentists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition and reportingTwo of the 30 required hours, so it counts toward the total rather than adding to it. The Board will not renew unless the Bureau has received an electronic report from an approved course provider documenting attendance. Applicants for initial licensure instead submit proof of three hours of Department of Human Services approved training. The same two hour renewal requirement applies to dental hygienists and expanded function dental assistants. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | 49 Pa. Code 33.401(h); 49 Pa. Code 33.256 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Hours must be taken in the subject areas listed in 49 Pa. Code 33.402 from a program sponsor listed in 49 Pa. Code 33.403. Child abuse courses must be approved by the Department of Human Services and the provider reports completion electronically to the Bureau. At renewal the applicant provides the requested information about the required hours on the biennial renewal application and submits documentation when the Board asks for it; acceptable proof includes provider certificates, certified transcripts, evidence of published work, or instructor documentation with an agenda. The applicant is responsible for keeping documentation for four years after completing the program, and failure to provide it may lead to disciplinary or corrective action. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Pennsylvania DDS/DMD need to renew?
- Pennsylvania dentists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. A dentist owes 30 hours per biennium under 49 Pa. Code 33.401(a)(1). The same subsection sets 20 hours for a dental hygienist and 10 for an expanded function dental assistant, so the hygienist figure is stated independently and is not a fraction applied to the dentist figure. At least 50 percent of the required hours must be lecture or clinical presentations and no more than 50 percent may come from individual study, instructing or authoring, which works out to a 15 hour floor and a 15 hour ceiling for a dentist. CPR certification is a condition of renewal under 49 Pa. Code 33.105, but 33.402(a)(3) expressly excludes hours required for CPR certification from the acceptable emergency procedures subject area, so CPR does not count toward the 30. No credit is given for repeating a program in the same renewal period unless the subject matter substantially changed, and none is given for billing, office management, practice building, insurance reimbursement or communication skills. A licensee suspended for disciplinary reasons is not exempt. Hardship waivers are available on written request. The Board's dentist licensure snapshot also notes the separate federal requirement that practitioners applying for or renewing a DEA registration have at least eight hours of training on substance use disorders or pain management; that is a DEA condition, not a Board continuing education mandate.
- How often does a Pennsylvania DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?
- Dentist licenses in Pennsylvania renew every two years. Dentist licenses expire March 31 of every odd numbered year and are renewable for a two year period beginning April 1 of each odd numbered year. The current biennium runs April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2027. Renewal notices go out about 60 days before expiration. Maintaining current infant, child and adult CPR certification and completing the continuing education in Subchapter F are both conditions of renewal, and a dentist who does not renew may not practice in Pennsylvania.
- What specific CE topics are required for Pennsylvania dentists?
- Child abuse recognition and reporting: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Citations: child abuse recognition and reporting (49 Pa. Code 33.401(h); 49 Pa. Code 33.256).
- Do Pennsylvania 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. Hours must be taken in the subject areas listed in 49 Pa. Code 33.402 from a program sponsor listed in 49 Pa. Code 33.403. Child abuse courses must be approved by the Department of Human Services and the provider reports completion electronically to the Bureau. At renewal the applicant provides the requested information about the required hours on the biennial renewal application and submits documentation when the Board asks for it; acceptable proof includes provider certificates, certified transcripts, evidence of published work, or instructor documentation with an agenda. The applicant is responsible for keeping documentation for four years after completing the program, and failure to provide it may lead to disciplinary or corrective action.
- Is the first Pennsylvania DDS/DMD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Pennsylvania 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.
- 49 Pa. Code 33.401, Credit-hour requirementsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 49 Pa. Code 33.402, Continuing education subject areasStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 49 Pa. Code 33.404, Reporting continuing education credit hoursStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 49 Pa. Code 33.105, Biennial renewal of licenses and certificatesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 49 Pa. Code 33.256, Child abuse recognition and reporting, mandatory training requirementStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Dentist Licensure Snapshot, Pennsylvania Department of StateState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- State Board of Dentistry Renewal Information, Pennsylvania Department of StateState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
One board, the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry, licenses dentists, dental hygienists, public health dental hygiene practitioners and expanded function dental assistants, and one rule sets all four hour totals in separate paragraphs. Hours, the lecture and individual study split, the first biennium exemption and the child abuse mandate were read in the full text of 49 Pa. Code 33.401 on the official Pennsylvania Code site, which states it reflects changes effective through 56 Pa.B. 4026, July 4, 2026. The exclusion of CPR hours from countable subject areas was read in 33.402(a)(3), the biennial April 1 odd year period and the CPR certification condition in 33.105, the four year retention and audit language in 33.404, and the initial licensure versus renewal split for child abuse training in 33.256. The March 31 odd year expiration and the 2025 to 2027 biennium were confirmed on the Department of State renewal information and dentist licensure snapshot pages. Chapter 33 states no carryover provision, so that field is null. The Board's renewal guide is a PDF and was not opened; no value here depends on it.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.