Rhode Island Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Rhode Island dental hygienists must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Examiners in Dentistry. Dental hygienist licenses expire biennially on June 30 of each even-numbered year. The renewal application and the continuing education attestation must be filed with the Board by May 1 of that even-numbered year. The Department sends a renewal notice 60 days before the expiration date. Rhode Island also mandates specific subjects. Training on the CDC Infection Control Guidelines: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Basic Life Support (BLS) for the Healthcare Provider with a hands-on skill component: required every renewal cycle.

Rhode Island Dental Hygienist 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.

Rule 216-RICR-40-05-2.7.5(A) requires at least 20 hours of continuing education relevant to the practice of dental hygiene in the two years preceding the May 1 filing date, prorated at 10 hours per year when the licensure period is shorter than two years. This is half the 40 hours dentists owe under section 2.6(B), and the two totals were read in separate sections rather than derived from one another. Section 2.16 does not cap self-instructional or internet based coursework for hygienists: all 20 hours may be earned that way if a post-test is completed. The per-category maximums listed under alternatives, and the absence of a self-study cap, were read on the Cornell mirror of section 2.16 because the Secretary of State page for the Part truncated before that section rendered.

Required CE topics for Rhode Island dental hygienists

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 Rhode Island RDH need to renew?

Rhode Island dental hygienists must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Examiners in Dentistry. Rule 216-RICR-40-05-2.7.5(A) requires at least 20 hours of continuing education relevant to the practice of dental hygiene in the two years preceding the May 1 filing date, prorated at 10 hours per year when the licensure period is shorter than two years. This is half the 40 hours dentists owe under section 2.6(B), and the two totals were read in separate sections rather than derived from one another. Section 2.16 does not cap self-instructional or internet based coursework for hygienists: all 20 hours may be earned that way if a post-test is completed. The per-category maximums listed under alternatives, and the absence of a self-study cap, were read on the Cornell mirror of section 2.16 because the Secretary of State page for the Part truncated before that section rendered.

How often does a Rhode Island RDH license need to be renewed?

Dental Hygienist licenses in Rhode Island renew every two years. Dental hygienist licenses expire biennially on June 30 of each even-numbered year. The renewal application and the continuing education attestation must be filed with the Board by May 1 of that even-numbered year. The Department sends a renewal notice 60 days before the expiration date.

What specific CE topics are required for Rhode Island dental hygienists?

Training on the CDC Infection Control Guidelines: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Basic Life Support (BLS) for the Healthcare Provider with a hands-on skill component: required every renewal cycle. Citations: training on the CDC Infection Control Guidelines (216-RICR-40-05-2.7.5(B)) and Basic Life Support (BLS) for the Healthcare Provider with a hands-on skill component (216-RICR-40-05-2.7.5(C)).

Do Rhode Island dental hygienists 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 5 years. Courses must comply with the criteria in 216-RICR-40-05-2.16 and be approved by the Board. Acceptable sponsors under section 2.16 include accredited educational institutions, board recognized professional associations and societies, government health agencies, and accredited hospitals.

Is the first Rhode Island RDH renewal exempt from CE?

No. Rhode Island applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.

Sources

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

• Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Dentists, Dental Hygienists, and Dental Assistants, 216-RICR-40-05-2Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• Dental Professionals, Rhode Island Department of HealthState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• 216 R.I. Code R. 216-RICR-40-05-2.16, Continuing Education Criteria (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026

The 20 hour hygienist total, the biennial June 30 even-year expiration, the May 1 filing date, the one hour per year CDC infection control training, the BLS condition and the five year retention period were read in the hygienist sections of the official Secretary of State text of 216-RICR-40-05-2 (sections 2.7.5 and 2.7.6). They were read as hygienist figures in their own sections, not scaled from the dentist figure in 2.6. Rhode Island licenses hygienists, and they renew on the same June 30 even-year schedule as dentists. The Secretary of State page truncated before section 2.16, so the category maximums, the absence of a self-study cap and the 3 credit CPR cap come from the Cornell mirror of that section and are supporting detail only. Nothing in the Part imposes an opioid or controlled substance CE requirement on hygienists, and no carryover provision appears. The topic key cpr_bls is not in the canonical list; it is used because the Board treats BLS as a renewal condition that also earns capped CE credit.