The State of Wisconsin requires dentists and dental hygienists to renew their licenses by Sept. 30 of odd-numbered years. The Dentistry Examining Board expects licensees to complete a licensure renewal form and attest that they have completed the required hours of continuing education and have current certificates of proficiency in both cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Although many in-person CE programs have been cancelled or altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dentistry Examining Board has not lowered CE requirements for license renewal. The thought is that licensees can fulfill all requirements with the number and variety of CE offerings available online.
Requirements for dentists
30 hours of CE
- 25 must be clinical
- Remaining 5 can be any course relating to the practice of dentistry or medicine
- Must include 2 hours on the topic of responsible prescribing of controlled substances for the treatment of acute dental pain (required of all dentists for the biennium ending in 2021)
- Not more than 4 of the 30 hours may be from teaching
CPR training
Must include hands-on training with AEDs*
Requirements for hygienists
12 hours of CE
- 2 hours must be on infection control
- Remaining 10 hours must be related to the clinical practice of dental hygiene
- No more than 2 of the 12 credit hours may be satisfied by training related to basic life support or CPR
CPR training
Must include hands-on training with AEDs*
* American Heart Association requires retraining every other year; the American Red Cross requires retraining yearly. Either meets licensure requirements, but training must be current with proof of proficiency.
If audited, licensees must present proof of completion of requirements for licensure
Licensees are responsible for keeping evidence of their CE activities for six years and should diligently maintain CE information and records. Current CPR records/cards should be available in the office for all dentists and dental hygienists.
The WDA offers CE tracking forms for mandatory credits. You can download forms for both dentists and dental hygienists at blog.wda.org/member-center/continuing-education.
Free, on-demand web course fulfills opioid CE requirement
Marquette University School of Dentistry (MUSoD) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health are teaming up to offer a free, on-demand web course – “Comprehensive Training for Dentists: Dental Pain Management in the Midst of the Evolving Substance Use Disorder Epidemic” – that fulfills the two CE credits of opioid instruction required for licensure in Wisconsin.
Instructors for the webinar are Dr. Joseph Best (Waukesha), a part-time MUSoD faculty member and board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, and Wisconsin State Dental Director Dr. Russ Dunkel (Madison). The web-based course requires the viewing of multiple videos (totaling two hours), followed by an emailed test.
Visit bit.ly/3aUNZI5 to register. If you have questions, call 414-288-8549 or email [email protected].
More information:
- WDA CE information (including FAQs): WDA.org/member-center/continuing-education
- Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board: dsps.wi.gov/Pages/BoardsCouncils/Dentistry
- Marquette University School of Dentistry Continuing Education: marquette.edu/dentistry/professionals/continuing-education.php
- ADA Continuing Education: ADA.org/en/education-careers/continuing-education
