Wyoming Dental Hygienist license renewal and CE requirements
Wyoming dental hygienists must complete 16 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners.
With the practice act changes effective in 2021, licenses are renewed every two years instead of annually. Renewals for hygienists and dentists are accepted from October 1 through December 31 of the renewal year, which falls in odd numbered years. A hygienist who does not renew by December 31 may renew during an administrative grace period from January 1 through March 31 but may not practice until the renewal is received. After March 31 a hygienist applies for restoration, available through December 31 of the following year, and after that for relicensure.
Summary
Wyoming dental hygienists must complete 16 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners. With the practice act changes effective in 2021, licenses are renewed every two years instead of annually. Renewals for hygienists and dentists are accepted from October 1 through December 31 of the renewal year, which falls in odd numbered years. A hygienist who does not renew by December 31 may renew during an administrative grace period from January 1 through March 31 but may not practice until the renewal is received. After March 31 a hygienist applies for restoration, available through December 31 of the following year, and after that for relicensure. Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Wyoming 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 | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 16 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
Sixteen hours are due every two years. The Board's continuing education page addresses dentists and dental hygienists together and states the 16 hour total for both, so this is a hygienist figure read as such rather than a scaled dentist figure. The 3 hour responsible prescribing of controlled substances requirement is written as applying if you are a dentist and does not reach hygienists, which leaves the hygienist with 16 hours and no mandated subject. Continuing education periods run January 1 of an even numbered year through December 31 of the following odd numbered year, and the current period is January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027. Courses must be clinical in nature; the Board's list of acceptable subjects includes infection control, management of medical emergencies, professional ethics and pharmacology among others, and practice building and business management courses are not accepted. Continuing education may be taken in person or online with no limit on online hours. Extra hours cannot be applied to the next period. The required BLS is in addition to the 16 hours and BLS hours cannot count toward them. A hygienist licensed in an even numbered year submits 8 hours at the next renewal, and a hygienist licensed in the odd numbered renewal year owes no continuing education at that renewal. The Board may approve a waiver in limited circumstances where a licensee can demonstrate extenuating circumstances.
Required CE topics for Wyoming dental hygienists
The Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners 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 | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The Board does not pre-approve or pre-review continuing education, and licensees are responsible for ensuring the courses they complete meet the requirements in Chapter 3 of the Board's Rules. At renewal a licensee only attests to completion; evidence is not required unless the licensee is randomly selected for audit. Those selected must keep continuing education records for at least four years after the renewal period in which the course was submitted and provide them within 30 days of the audit notice. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Wyoming RDH need to renew?
- Wyoming dental hygienists must complete 16 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners. Sixteen hours are due every two years. The Board's continuing education page addresses dentists and dental hygienists together and states the 16 hour total for both, so this is a hygienist figure read as such rather than a scaled dentist figure. The 3 hour responsible prescribing of controlled substances requirement is written as applying if you are a dentist and does not reach hygienists, which leaves the hygienist with 16 hours and no mandated subject. Continuing education periods run January 1 of an even numbered year through December 31 of the following odd numbered year, and the current period is January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027. Courses must be clinical in nature; the Board's list of acceptable subjects includes infection control, management of medical emergencies, professional ethics and pharmacology among others, and practice building and business management courses are not accepted. Continuing education may be taken in person or online with no limit on online hours. Extra hours cannot be applied to the next period. The required BLS is in addition to the 16 hours and BLS hours cannot count toward them. A hygienist licensed in an even numbered year submits 8 hours at the next renewal, and a hygienist licensed in the odd numbered renewal year owes no continuing education at that renewal. The Board may approve a waiver in limited circumstances where a licensee can demonstrate extenuating circumstances.
- How often does a Wyoming RDH license need to be renewed?
- Dental Hygienist licenses in Wyoming renew every two years. With the practice act changes effective in 2021, licenses are renewed every two years instead of annually. Renewals for hygienists and dentists are accepted from October 1 through December 31 of the renewal year, which falls in odd numbered years. A hygienist who does not renew by December 31 may renew during an administrative grace period from January 1 through March 31 but may not practice until the renewal is received. After March 31 a hygienist applies for restoration, available through December 31 of the following year, and after that for relicensure.
- Does Wyoming require specific CE topics for dental hygienists?
- The Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners does not list mandated subject areas for RDH renewal on the pages we verified; the 16 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Wyoming 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. The Board does not pre-approve or pre-review continuing education, and licensees are responsible for ensuring the courses they complete meet the requirements in Chapter 3 of the Board's Rules. At renewal a licensee only attests to completion; evidence is not required unless the licensee is randomly selected for audit. Those selected must keep continuing education records for at least four years after the renewal period in which the course was submitted and provide them within 30 days of the audit notice.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education, Wyoming Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renewal and Relicensure, Wyoming Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Wyoming Board of Dental ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
One board covers both credentials. The Board's continuing education page opens by saying both dentists and dental hygienists must obtain and submit continuing education, states 16 hours every two years without distinguishing the two, and then separates them only twice: the 3 hour controlled substance mandate, which it introduces with if you are a dentist, and the new licensee section, which gives a Hygienists paragraph and a Dentists paragraph where only the dentist paragraph carries the 3 hour condition inside the prorated 8 hours. The hygienist total was therefore read from hygienist facing text. mandatory_topics is empty because the Board sets no subject mandate for hygienists; BLS is required but the Board states plainly that it is in addition to the 16 hours and cannot count toward them, so it is described in the continuing education notes rather than recorded as a counted subject. Carryover is false on the Board's own statement that extra hours cannot be used toward the next period. exempt_first_renewal is null because the outcome depends on whether the license was issued in an even or an odd numbered year. The Board's rules, including Chapter 3, are hosted as documents rather than HTML and were not opened.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.