All dental hygiene licenses issued by the Kentucky Board of Dentistry expire on Dec. 31 of every even numbered year (dentists renew in odd numbered years). Therefore, dental hygienists who wish to maintain their current license must renew by the end of 2024. Failure to renew will result in reinstatement penalties as well as potential disciplinary action for practicing without a license. The online renewal portal is now open and will run through the end of the year. Properly renewed licenses will be active from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2026.
What Should I Know About License Renewal?
Continuing Education
Dental hygienists must earn 30 hours of continuing education during every two year cycle to properly renew their license. At least ten of those hours must be taken in a live interactive format and at least twenty hours must focus on clinical skills and knowledge. CPR certification should also be maintained and does not count toward the 30 hours. See the Continuing Education page for more information.
License Retirement
Rather than simply allowing it to expire, dental hygienists who no longer wish to hold an active Kentucky license should formally retire it by submitting a Retirement of License Form. This not only allows the board to accurately record your status, it is also easier to get reinstated if you ever decide to practice in Kentucky again.
Retirement of License Form
Active Duty Military
State law exempts active duty military personnel from paying license renewal fees. However, federal rules require professional licenses held by members of the military to be unrestricted (i.e. fully equivalent to licenses held by non-military). Therefore, check with your branch of service to determine its policy regarding fee waivers. To renew your license without a fee, please submit the following form in lieu of the online renewal portal. Those who want to voluntarily pay the fee can still use the online portal.
If you are deployed overseas during the renewal period, you may renew your license as usual or wait until you are reassigned to the United States. Kentucky law gives you 90 days after your return to request the renewal of your license.
Special Registration Privileges
All special registrations available to dental hygienists in Kentucky (general supervision, local anesthesia, laser debridement, intravenous access lines, and public health hygiene) will be renewed concurrently with hygiene licenses. With the following exceptions, these registrations do not have ongoing continuing education requirements:
General Supervision Registered Dental Hygienists must complete three hours of CE in medical emergencies every two years. These hours may be included as part of the 30 required hours and are not additional hours.
Public Health Registered Dental Hygienists must complete five hours of CE in public health and three hours in medical emergencies. Both requirements may be included as part of the 30 required hours and are not additional hours.
Visit the Continuing Education page for details.
License Reinstatement
Dental hygienists who have previously held a license in good standing in Kentucky may request reinstatement of their license without repeating the entire license application process.