Virginia Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Virginia dental hygienists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Virginia Board of Dentistry, Department of Health Professions.
An active or inactive dental hygiene license is renewed in the licensee's birth month each year. Faculty licenses, restricted volunteer licenses and temporary permits renew on or before June 30 each year instead. A license not renewed by the deadline expires automatically; the board may still renew it on payment of a late fee within one year of the original deadline.
Summary
Virginia dental hygienists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Virginia Board of Dentistry, Department of Health Professions. An active or inactive dental hygiene license is renewed in the licensee's birth month each year. Faculty licenses, restricted volunteer licenses and temporary permits renew on or before June 30 each year instead. A license not renewed by the deadline expires automatically; the board may still renew it on payment of a late fee within one year of the original deadline. Virginia also mandates specific subjects. Monitoring of general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedation: 4 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board (dental hygienists who monitor patients under general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedation). Remote supervision course: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (dental hygienists who practice under remote supervision). Up to 15 excess contact hours carry over to the next cycle and the first renewal is exempt.
Virginia 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 | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 15 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes, up to 15 contact hours |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Up to three of the 15 hours for delivering dental hygiene services without compensation to low income individuals through a local health department or a free clinic; Verifiable attendance at or participation in audio and video presentations given by a board approved sponsor |
Virginia is an annual state: a dental hygienist completes a minimum of 15 hours of approved continuing education to renew an active license each year. This figure was read in the dental hygiene chapter, 18VAC60-25-190, which is a separate chapter from the dentist chapter 18VAC60-21, and it happens to match the dentist figure of 15 rather than being derived from it. Hours in excess of the number required may be transferred or credited to the next renewal year for a total of not more than 15. A hygienist is exempt from continuing education and considered in compliance on the first renewal date following initial licensure. CPR is a certification condition, not counted hours: a hygienist must maintain evidence of successful completion of a current hands-on course in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation for health care providers. Programs must be relevant to patient treatment and care and must be clinical courses in dental or dental hygiene practice or nonclinical subjects supporting dental hygiene services such as patient management, legal and ethical responsibilities, risk management and recordkeeping; estate planning, financial planning, investments and personal health are excluded. Hours ordered by the board as discipline do not count. There is no prescriber pain management requirement for hygienists, since 18VAC60-21-106 is written for dentists who prescribe Schedules II, III and IV.
Required CE topics for Virginia dental hygienists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring of general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedationFour hours every two years, counted as part of the hours required for licensure renewal rather than added to them. The hygienist version covers monitoring only, where the dentist version at 18VAC60-21-250 A 2 covers administration and monitoring. | 4 contact hours | Periodic | dental hygienists who monitor patients under general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedation | 18VAC60-25-190 A 2 |
| Remote supervision courseA course of no less than two hours covering the intent and definitions of remote supervision, dental hygiene scope of practice and delegation, administration of controlled substances, patient records and risk management, the remote supervision laws, written practice protocols, and the settings allowed. Required in order to practice under remote supervision under subsection F of 54.1-2722 of the Code of Virginia. The topic key collaborative_practice is the closest existing key; the board's own wording is remote supervision. | 2 contact hours | One time | dental hygienists who practice under remote supervision | 18VAC60-25-190 H |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Credit may be earned for verifiable attendance at or participation in any course, including audio and video presentations, that meets the content requirements of 18VAC60-25-190 B and is given by a board approved sponsor. All licensees verify compliance at the time of annual renewal; after the renewal period the board may audit, and a licensee selected for audit must provide original documents by the board's deadline. Original documents showing the date, subject, sponsor and time earned must be kept for four years following renewal. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Virginia RDH need to renew?
- Virginia dental hygienists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Virginia Board of Dentistry, Department of Health Professions. Virginia is an annual state: a dental hygienist completes a minimum of 15 hours of approved continuing education to renew an active license each year. This figure was read in the dental hygiene chapter, 18VAC60-25-190, which is a separate chapter from the dentist chapter 18VAC60-21, and it happens to match the dentist figure of 15 rather than being derived from it. Hours in excess of the number required may be transferred or credited to the next renewal year for a total of not more than 15. A hygienist is exempt from continuing education and considered in compliance on the first renewal date following initial licensure. CPR is a certification condition, not counted hours: a hygienist must maintain evidence of successful completion of a current hands-on course in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation for health care providers. Programs must be relevant to patient treatment and care and must be clinical courses in dental or dental hygiene practice or nonclinical subjects supporting dental hygiene services such as patient management, legal and ethical responsibilities, risk management and recordkeeping; estate planning, financial planning, investments and personal health are excluded. Hours ordered by the board as discipline do not count. There is no prescriber pain management requirement for hygienists, since 18VAC60-21-106 is written for dentists who prescribe Schedules II, III and IV.
- How often does a Virginia RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Virginia renew every year. An active or inactive dental hygiene license is renewed in the licensee's birth month each year. Faculty licenses, restricted volunteer licenses and temporary permits renew on or before June 30 each year instead. A license not renewed by the deadline expires automatically; the board may still renew it on payment of a late fee within one year of the original deadline.
- What specific CE topics are required for Virginia dental hygienists?
- Monitoring of general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedation: 4 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board (dental hygienists who monitor patients under general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedation). Remote supervision course: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (dental hygienists who practice under remote supervision). Citations: monitoring of general anesthesia, deep sedation or moderate sedation (18VAC60-25-190 A 2) and remote supervision course (18VAC60-25-190 H).
- Do Virginia 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 4 years. Credit may be earned for verifiable attendance at or participation in any course, including audio and video presentations, that meets the content requirements of 18VAC60-25-190 B and is given by a board approved sponsor. All licensees verify compliance at the time of annual renewal; after the renewal period the board may audit, and a licensee selected for audit must provide original documents by the board's deadline. Original documents showing the date, subject, sponsor and time earned must be kept for four years following renewal.
- Is the first Virginia RDH renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Virginia 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.
- 18VAC60-25-190, Requirements for continuing education (Virginia Administrative Code, Regulations Governing the Practice of Dental Hygiene)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 18VAC60-25-180, Requirements for licensure renewal (Virginia Administrative Code)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Virginia Board of Dentistry, Dental Hygiene Continuing EducationState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Virginia keeps one board but two separate regulation chapters, so the hygienist requirement was verified entirely from hygienist sources: the full text of 18VAC60-25-190, amended effective October 24, 2024, and the board's own Dental Hygiene continuing education page, which independently states the 15 hour minimum, the 15 hour carryover cap, the hands-on CPR course, the first renewal exemption, the four year retention and the two hour remote supervision course. Nothing was carried over from the dentist chapter. The birth month annual renewal comes from 18VAC60-25-180. Note for anyone rechecking links: the board also serves a page at .../ContinuingEducation/DentalHygienists/ that returns a 404 body with an HTTP 200 status; the working path is DentalHygiene. The regulations state no cap on audio or video presentations, so max_self_study_or_online is null.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Virginia Board of Dentistry, Department of Health Professions before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.