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Kentucky
Board of Dentistry

Continuing Education

General Continuing Education Requirements

All dentists and dental hygienists are required to earn 30 hours of continuing education during their two-year license period. At least twenty of these hours must focus on clinical skills and knowledge that will improve your abilities as a practitioner, whereas the remaining ten hours can be in business operations and practice management classes, volunteer clinical work at a charitable event, or dental association and society meetings. At least ten of the 30 hours must be taken in a live interactive format. Continuing education hours must be completed by Dec. 31 of odd numbered years for dentists and even numbered years for dental hygienists. CPR certification should also be maintained and does not count toward the 30 hours. (Source: 201 KAR 8:533​ and 563​)

Please be aware that certain classes of licensee will have additional CE requirements. Please see the special categories below or view the CE Requirements Chart.

CE Requirements Chart​​

Special Continuing Education Requirements

Recent Graduates

Students who graduate and obtain a dentist or de​ntal hygienist license during the renewal year (odd numbered years for dentists, even numbered years for hygienists) of the current two-year license cycle are not r​equired to complete additional education prior to renewal. Students who graduate and obtain a license during the non-renewal year are only required to complete 15 hours of CE prior to renewal. (Source: 201 KAR 8:533​ and 563​)

Prescribing Dentists

All dentists authorized to administer and prescribe controlled substances in Kentucky must obtain three hours of continuing education related to KASPER, pain management or addiction disorders prior to renewing their license. These may be included in the 30 required hours and are not additional hours. Visit this CE Central page for free online videos that fulfill this requirement. (Source: 201 KAR 8:533​)

What is KASPER? Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) is the Commonwealth's prescription monitoring program designed to assist practitioners and pharmacists with patient care. It is also an investigative tool for law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Dentists authorized to administer and prescribe controlled substances in Kentucky must have a KASPER account. For more information, visit the Cabinet for Health and Family Services' KASPER page. 

Sedation/Anesthesia Permit Holders

Like dental licenses, sedation permits in Kentucky must be renewed by Dec. 31 of every odd numbered year. On top of the 30 hours of CE needed for license renewal, Moderate Sedation and Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia permit holders must also complete at least four hours of clinical continuing education related to sedation or anesthesia in a classroom setting during the two year term of the permit. Further, certification in ACLS (for adult sedation) and/or PALS (for pediatric sedation) must be maintained. (Source: 201 KAR 8:550)

Attn: Pediatric, Enteral, and Parenteral Sedation Holders - In July 2020, the Minimal Pediatric Sedation permit as well as the Moderate Pediatric, Enteral, and Parenteral Sedation permits were all discontinued in favor of a single Moderate Sedation category.  These permits were active until Dec. 31, 2021, at which time they were affected as follows:

  • Minimal Pediatric Sedation – A permit is no longer required to administer minimal sedation of any kind. Therefore, the Minimal Pediatric Sedation permit has been discontinued. If you held this permit, it simply expired on Dec. 31, 2021 and no further action is required on your part.
  • Moderate Pediatric, Enteral, and Parenteral Sedation – These permits were discontinued and merged into a single category. Any such permits that were renewed for the 2022-23 cycle were reassigned to the new Moderate Sedation permit. Please note that this consolidated category has a  comprehensive moderate sedation training requirement that some licensees, particularly Enteral Sedation permit holders, may not have fulfilled. In addition, the Moderate Sedation permit requires four hours of continuing education during every two-year renewal cycle. However, those who renewed under this category for the 2022-23 cycle have a grace period until Dec. 31, 2023 to complete the comprehensive training if they have not already done so.
  • Deep Sedation and General Anesthesia – This permit type is un​changed and the renewal process will remain the same except that you will identify if the permit is for adult and/or pediatric patients.  

General Supervision Registered Hygienists

Dental hygiene licenses, along with any special registrations held by licensees, must be renewed by Dec. 31 of even numbered years. Most registrations (local anesthesia, laser debridement, and IV access lines) do not have their own continuing education requirements for renewal. However, general supervision r​egistered dental hygienists must complete a three hour board-approved course on medical emergencies every two years (see approved core courses). These hours may be included as part of the 30 required hours and are not additional hours. (Source: KRS 313.040(7)and 201 KAR 8:563​)

Public Health Registered Hygienists

Dental hygiene licenses, along with any special registrations held by licensees, must be renewed by Dec. 31 of even numbered years. Most registrations (general supervision, local a​nesthesia, laser debridement, and IV access lines) do not have their own continuing education requirements fo​r renewal. However, public health r​egistered dental hygienists must complete five hours of CE in the area of public health as well as a three hour board-approved course on medical emergencies (see approved core courses). Both requirements may be included as part of the 30 required hours and are not additional hours. (Source: ​201 KAR 8:563​)​

Documenting Your Continuing Education

KBD is Now Working with CE Broker Logo.jpg

CE Broker is the official CE tracking system for the Kentucky Board of Dentistry. Licensees automatically have access to a free Basic account, where you can record your course history and view your CE compliance status. Your account will list all the courses which have been reported thus far, and indicate whether or not you have satisfied your renewal requirements. From here, you may easily find and report any CE that might be m​issing. You will never have to pay to access all of the necessary tools to renew your license! CE Broker even provides a Course Search feature to help you find any course you need to successfully complete your renewal.

To register your free account visit cebroker.com/ky/plans and select the Basic option on the right. Registration with CE Broker is not mandatory but is recommended for dentists and hygienists in Kentucky.

Certificates of Completion

Licensees should obtain a certificate of attendance or completion to document CE hours. If audited, you will be required to submit these documents to the board for review. Certificates should contain the following information:

  • KBD approved course ID Number (only if a core course that requires approval, see approved core courses​​​)
  • Signature or verification of the provider
  • Name of the licensee in attendance
  • Title of the course or meeting 
  • Date of attendance or completion
  • N​umber of hours earned
  • Evidence of method of delivery (e.g. if course was taken in a live interactive format)
  • Laser debridement certificates must also include the laser device and wavelength 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I have to earn 15 hours of CE in each year of the two-year license cycle?
A: No. You only need 30 hours total, which can be completed at any point within the two year period.

Q: What kind of CE is considered to be in a "live interactive format"? 
A: At least 10 of your 30 required hours of CE must be in a live interactive presentation format, which is any educational setting where you are participating in a live event that allows you to ask questions and/or interact with the other participants in real time. This includes in-person classes as well as online courses conducted through a live teleconferencing platform like Zoom or Google Meet.  

Q: I am licensed in another state but sometimes do charitable work in Kentucky? Do I need to complete CE for that?
A: No. Charitable Limited Licenses issued by the board do not have any continuing education requirements but you must still abide by the CE rules of your home state.

Q: What is HB1 and how does it affect my CE requirements?
A: HB1 (or House Bill 1) is a law passed in 2012 that creates prescribing and dispensing standards aimed at curbing drug abuse in Kentucky. As a result of HB1, prescribing dentists in the state must complete 3 hours of CE in KASPER, pain management, or addiction disorders during each two-year license cycle.

Q: Do the three hours of CE in KASPER, pain management, or addiction disorders count toward my 30 overall hours?
A: Yes.

Q: Does the time spent renewing my CPR certification count toward the 30 overall hours?
A: No

Q: Does the course I took to qualify for a sedation permit also count toward the four hours of CE needed to renew my permit?
A: Yes. But only if the qualifying sedation course was taken during the current two-year renewal cycle. In such cases, it would be redundant to require four hours of sedation CE during the same cycle in which the initial comprehensive training was completed.

Q: As a Public Health Registered Dental Hygienist, do my required three hours of CE in medical emergencies and five hours of CE in public health count toward the 30 overall hours?
A: Yes

Q: Do the four hours of CE required to renew my sedation perm​it count toward the 30 overall hours to renew my license?
A: No. These are ​separate requirements.

Q: Do I need to complete more than four hours of CE in sedation/anesthesia if I hold more than one type of sedation permit?
A: No. Four hours total is sufficient.

Q: Do dental assistants have CE requirements?
A: No. The Kentucky Board of Dentistry does not issue licenses to dental assistants; therefore, no continuing education is required. However, initial training is required for dental assistants to engage in expanded duties, including performing coronal polishing, taking radiographs, and administering IV lines.