Texas Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Texas dental hygienists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners.
Dental hygienist licenses renew every two years, on the same staggered system dentists use: the initial registration period runs from 18 to 30 months and its expiration is set by the licensee's birth month, and every registration after that is biennial. Renewal must be completed no later than midnight on the day the license is due to expire.
Summary
Texas dental hygienists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Dental hygienist licenses renew every two years, on the same staggered system dentists use: the initial registration period runs from 18 to 30 months and its expiration is set by the licensee's birth month, and every registration after that is biennial. Renewal must be completed no later than midnight on the day the license is due to expire. Texas also mandates specific subjects. Human trafficking prevention course approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission: required every renewal cycle. TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment: required on a periodic schedule set by the board. In-person continuing education in laser utilization: 12 contact hours (dental hygienists who use lasers, scoped to the procedures to be performed); the board does not state how often. No more than 8 contact hours may be self-study or online, up to 24 excess contact hours carry over to the next cycle, and the first renewal is exempt.
Texas 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.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth monthFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 24 contact hours |
| Category 1 minimum | 16 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 8 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes, up to 24 contact hours |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
Texas is one of the states where the two dental credentials owe the same total: a dental hygienist must collect 24 hours biennially, the same number a dentist owes, with at least 16 hours technical or scientific, up to 8 hours of risk management, record-keeping, HIPAA or ethics, and up to 8 hours of self-study. This figure was read on the Board's separate hygienist continuing education page, not carried over from the dentist page. Extra hours earned in a classroom or lecture format within the one year immediately preceding the renewal period may be carried forward, up to 24 hours. The Board states the requirement applies after the initial renewal and before each subsequent renewal, which is why exempt_first_renewal is set true; the Board does not use the word exempt. Basic life support CPR is required at renewal but may not be counted in the 24 hours, and OSHA standards coursework may not be counted either. The Board's hygienist page is internally inconsistent about advanced cardiac life support: its chart marks ACLS and PALS as not creditable while the body text says ACLS training may be used toward continuing education hours, so no ACLS credit is recorded here. Where the credentials differ is subject matter: hygienists carry no opioid, controlled substance or infection control mandate, and instead face a laser requirement dentists do not.
Required CE topics for Texas dental hygienists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human trafficking prevention course approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services CommissionCounts as part of the 24 hour requirement. The Board states this for hygienists on its hygienist continuing education page, the same way it states it for dentists. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 22 TAC Chapter 104 |
| TSBDE Jurisprudence AssessmentA dental hygienist completes the jurisprudence assessment every four years and attests to passing it at renewal. It does not count toward the 24 hours. | Not stated | Periodic | All licensees | 22 TAC Chapter 104 |
| In-person continuing education in laser utilizationThe Board states a dental hygienist must complete no less than twelve hours of in-person continuing education in laser utilization specific to the procedures to be performed. This attaches to laser practice rather than to the base license, and the Board does not present it as part of the 24 hour total, so it is recorded here scoped rather than folded into hours_per_cycle. Dentists have no equivalent hygienist laser requirement. | 12 contact hours | Frequency not stated | dental hygienists who use lasers, scoped to the procedures to be performed | Not stated |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The Board publishes a list of approved continuing education course providers, and the human trafficking prevention course must be one approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Licensees attest at renewal that the minimum hours were obtained; approximately 5 percent of license renewals each month are selected for random audit, and a licensee who cannot show compliance is ineligible to renew. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Texas RDH need to renew?
- Texas dental hygienists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Texas is one of the states where the two dental credentials owe the same total: a dental hygienist must collect 24 hours biennially, the same number a dentist owes, with at least 16 hours technical or scientific, up to 8 hours of risk management, record-keeping, HIPAA or ethics, and up to 8 hours of self-study. This figure was read on the Board's separate hygienist continuing education page, not carried over from the dentist page. Extra hours earned in a classroom or lecture format within the one year immediately preceding the renewal period may be carried forward, up to 24 hours. The Board states the requirement applies after the initial renewal and before each subsequent renewal, which is why exempt_first_renewal is set true; the Board does not use the word exempt. Basic life support CPR is required at renewal but may not be counted in the 24 hours, and OSHA standards coursework may not be counted either. The Board's hygienist page is internally inconsistent about advanced cardiac life support: its chart marks ACLS and PALS as not creditable while the body text says ACLS training may be used toward continuing education hours, so no ACLS credit is recorded here. Where the credentials differ is subject matter: hygienists carry no opioid, controlled substance or infection control mandate, and instead face a laser requirement dentists do not.
- How often does a Texas RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Texas renew every two years. Dental hygienist licenses renew every two years, on the same staggered system dentists use: the initial registration period runs from 18 to 30 months and its expiration is set by the licensee's birth month, and every registration after that is biennial. Renewal must be completed no later than midnight on the day the license is due to expire.
- What specific CE topics are required for Texas dental hygienists?
- Human trafficking prevention course approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission: required every renewal cycle. TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment: required on a periodic schedule set by the board. In-person continuing education in laser utilization: 12 contact hours (dental hygienists who use lasers, scoped to the procedures to be performed); the board does not state how often. Citations: human trafficking prevention course approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (22 TAC Chapter 104) and TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment (22 TAC Chapter 104).
- Do Texas dental hygienists 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 Board publishes a list of approved continuing education course providers, and the human trafficking prevention course must be one approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Licensees attest at renewal that the minimum hours were obtained; approximately 5 percent of license renewals each month are selected for random audit, and a licensee who cannot show compliance is ineligible to renew.
- Is the first Texas RDH renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Texas does not require continuing education for a RDH's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Hygienist Continuing Education, Texas State Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Hygienist License Renewal, Texas State Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Texas State Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 101.5, Staggered Dental Registrations (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
Texas regulates dental hygienists through the same State Board of Dental Examiners that regulates dentists; there is no separate hygiene board or committee. Every hygienist figure here was read on the Board's hygienist continuing education page and hygienist renewal page: the 24 hour total, the 16 hour technical and scientific minimum, the 8 hour risk management and self-study caps, the 24 hour carryover, the human trafficking course, the four year jurisprudence assessment, the exclusion of BLS CPR and OSHA hours from the total, and the 12 hour in-person laser requirement. The hygienist page states no opioid, controlled substance or infection control mandate, which is the substantive difference from the dentist record where a four hour pain management requirement and a two hour DEA prescriber requirement apply. The birth month basis comes from 22 TAC 101.5 read on the Cornell LII mirror, because texreg.sos.state.tx.us has moved and the Board restates its rules rather than hosting the code text. The Board's hygienist page contradicts itself on ACLS credit, noted in continuing_education.notes; no ACLS value is recorded. The Board does not state a CE record retention period. The topic key laser_utilization is not in the canonical list and is used because Texas mandates a subject with no canonical equivalent.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.