Rhode Island Dentist license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Rhode Island dentists must complete 40 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Examiners in Dentistry. Dentist 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 before 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 (dentists practicing in a dental setting). Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers with a hands-on skill component: required every renewal cycle.

Rhode Island 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.

Rule 216-RICR-40-05-2.6(B) requires at least 40 hours of continuing dental education in the two years preceding the May 1 filing date, prorated at 20 hours per year when the licensure period is shorter than two years, so a first renewal is reduced rather than waived. Section 2.16 does not cap self-instructional or internet based coursework: a dentist may satisfy all 40 hours that way as long as 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. Dental hygienists in Rhode Island owe 20 hours, half the dentist total, under a separate section (2.7.5).

Required CE topics for Rhode Island dentists

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 DDS/DMD need to renew?

Rhode Island dentists must complete 40 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-40-05-2.6(B) requires at least 40 hours of continuing dental education in the two years preceding the May 1 filing date, prorated at 20 hours per year when the licensure period is shorter than two years, so a first renewal is reduced rather than waived. Section 2.16 does not cap self-instructional or internet based coursework: a dentist may satisfy all 40 hours that way as long as 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. Dental hygienists in Rhode Island owe 20 hours, half the dentist total, under a separate section (2.7.5).

How often does a Rhode Island DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?

Dentist licenses in Rhode Island renew every two years. Dentist 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 before 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 dentists?

Training on the CDC Infection Control Guidelines: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (dentists practicing in a dental setting). Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers with a hands-on skill component: required every renewal cycle. Citations: training on the CDC Infection Control Guidelines (216-RICR-40-05-2.6(E)) and Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers with a hands-on skill component (216-RICR-40-05-2.6(F)).

Do Rhode Island 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 5 years. Courses must meet the criteria in 216-RICR-40-05-2.16 and be approved by the Board; for dentists the rule points to criteria established by the Rhode Island Dental Association and 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 DDS/DMD 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 40 hour 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, the five year retention period and the random audit were all read in the official Secretary of State text of 216-RICR-40-05-2 (sections 2.6 and 2.6.1). The dentist and hygienist figures were read in separate sections of the same Part: 40 hours at 2.6(B) for dentists and 20 hours at 2.7.5(A) for hygienists; the hygienist number was not derived from the dentist number. 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 recorded as supporting detail only. The Part states no carryover provision and no opioid or controlled substance CE mandate for dentists; section 2.4.2 cross references separate pain management regulations that were not read. 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.