Utah Dentist license renewal and CE requirements
Utah dentists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board, Division of Professional Licensing.
Dental licenses run on a two year renewal cycle and are due May 31 of even numbered years. Renewal also requires current CPR/BLS certification and the continuing professional education set out in Utah Administrative Code R156-69-304a.
Summary
Utah dentists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board, Division of Professional Licensing. Dental licenses run on a two year renewal cycle and are due May 31 of even numbered years. Renewal also requires current CPR/BLS certification and the continuing professional education set out in Utah Administrative Code R156-69-304a. No more than 15 contact hours may be self-study or online.
Utah 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, 05/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 15 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | Teaching continuing professional education relevant to dentistry or dental hygiene, up to 10 hours; Providing direct patient care as a volunteer, up to 15 percent of the requirement; College or university lecture and discussion, professional conferences, seminars and training sessions from an approved sponsor |
Utah sets one figure for both credentials. R156-69-304a(2) says that during each two year renewal cycle a licensed dentist or a licensed dental hygienist shall complete at least 30 hours of qualified continuing professional education, so the hygienist requirement is the same rule text rather than a scaled version of the dentist requirement. Unlimited hours may be earned in live formats that run in blocks of at least 50 minutes and come from an approved sponsor. Up to 15 hours may be taken online or through home study if the course includes an examination. Up to 10 hours may be earned by teaching, and up to 3 hours may be on practice and office management. Under Subsection 58-13-3(8) a licensee may fulfill up to 15 percent of the requirement by providing direct patient care as a volunteer. Current CPR-BLS, ACLS or PALS certification is required to renew, but R156-69-304a(8)(b) states that the recertification hours may not count toward the 30. Sedation permits carry their own hours on top of the 30, at 2 hours for a minimal sedation permit, 4 didactic hours plus 10 sedation cases for moderate sedation, and 8 didactic hours plus 30 sedation cases for deep sedation and general anesthesia. Dentists who administer dermal fillers or botulinum toxin owe one additional hour each specific to those procedures. Those permit and procedure hours are separate credentials and privileges and are not folded into the 30. If an individual first becomes licensed during a two year cycle the required hours are increased or decreased proportionately according to the date of licensure.
Required CE topics for Utah dentists
The Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board, Division of Professional Licensing pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 2 years |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | A course must meet R156-69-304a(10), which requires clearly stated learning objectives related to the licensee's practice, relevance to that practice, qualified presenters, competent sequential presentation and available attendance records. For unlimited credit the course must also be approved by, conducted by or under the sponsorship of a county, state or federal agency, an accredited institution of higher education, a professional association or society whose objectives relate to dentistry or dental hygiene, the ADA or an ADA subgroup, the ADHA or an ADHA subgroup, the Utah Dental Association or Utah Dental Hygienists' Association, a recognized health care professional association, or a peer study club, and be verified by a completion certificate showing the attendee, provider, instructor, date, title, hours and format. A licensee must keep documentation sufficient to prove compliance for two years after the end of the renewal cycle for which the education is due. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Utah DDS/DMD need to renew?
- Utah dentists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board, Division of Professional Licensing. Utah sets one figure for both credentials. R156-69-304a(2) says that during each two year renewal cycle a licensed dentist or a licensed dental hygienist shall complete at least 30 hours of qualified continuing professional education, so the hygienist requirement is the same rule text rather than a scaled version of the dentist requirement. Unlimited hours may be earned in live formats that run in blocks of at least 50 minutes and come from an approved sponsor. Up to 15 hours may be taken online or through home study if the course includes an examination. Up to 10 hours may be earned by teaching, and up to 3 hours may be on practice and office management. Under Subsection 58-13-3(8) a licensee may fulfill up to 15 percent of the requirement by providing direct patient care as a volunteer. Current CPR-BLS, ACLS or PALS certification is required to renew, but R156-69-304a(8)(b) states that the recertification hours may not count toward the 30. Sedation permits carry their own hours on top of the 30, at 2 hours for a minimal sedation permit, 4 didactic hours plus 10 sedation cases for moderate sedation, and 8 didactic hours plus 30 sedation cases for deep sedation and general anesthesia. Dentists who administer dermal fillers or botulinum toxin owe one additional hour each specific to those procedures. Those permit and procedure hours are separate credentials and privileges and are not folded into the 30. If an individual first becomes licensed during a two year cycle the required hours are increased or decreased proportionately according to the date of licensure.
- How often does a Utah DDS/DMD license need to be renewed?
- Dentist licenses in Utah renew every two years. Dental licenses run on a two year renewal cycle and are due May 31 of even numbered years. Renewal also requires current CPR/BLS certification and the continuing professional education set out in Utah Administrative Code R156-69-304a.
- Does Utah require specific CE topics for dentists?
- The Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board, Division of Professional Licensing does not list mandated subject areas for DDS/DMD renewal on the pages we verified; the 30 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Utah dentists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and records must be kept for 2 years. A course must meet R156-69-304a(10), which requires clearly stated learning objectives related to the licensee's practice, relevance to that practice, qualified presenters, competent sequential presentation and available attendance records. For unlimited credit the course must also be approved by, conducted by or under the sponsorship of a county, state or federal agency, an accredited institution of higher education, a professional association or society whose objectives relate to dentistry or dental hygiene, the ADA or an ADA subgroup, the ADHA or an ADHA subgroup, the Utah Dental Association or Utah Dental Hygienists' Association, a recognized health care professional association, or a peer study club, and be verified by a completion certificate showing the attendee, provider, instructor, date, title, hours and format. A licensee must keep documentation sufficient to prove compliance for two years after the end of the renewal cycle for which the education is due.
- Is the first Utah DDS/DMD renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Utah 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.
- Utah Admin. Code R156-69, Dentist and Dental Hygienist Practice Act Rule, current rule effective 07/08/2026 (Utah Office of Administrative Rules)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renew a Dentistry License, Utah Division of Professional LicensingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renew a Dental Hygienist License, Utah Division of Professional LicensingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
One board and one rule cover both credentials in Utah, and this is a case where the state genuinely sets a single requirement: R156-69-304a(2) names the licensed dentist and the licensed dental hygienist in the same sentence at 30 hours, and the Division's two separate renewal pages, one for dentists and one for dental hygienists, each state 30 hours independently. Nothing here was scaled from the other credential. The rule text was read on the Utah Office of Administrative Rules site, which shows this version effective 07/08/2026. Note for link checking: adminrules.utah.gov is a JavaScript application and the canonical rule URL returns HTTP 404 to every automated client tested, including curl with a browser user agent; the page renders normally in a browser and that is how the text was read, so the URL may need a link verified exception. The rule sets no mandated continuing education subject for the base dentist license, which is why mandatory_topics is empty. The May 31 even year deadline comes from the Division's renewal pages; R156-69-303 points to R156-1-308a for the renewal date and that section of R156-1 was not read. The rule states no carryover provision, so that field is null; exempt_first_renewal is false because R156-69-304a(9) prorates rather than waives the first cycle.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board, Division of Professional Licensing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.