NJ State Board CE Requirements (2024)

A licensee may obtain forty (40) hours of continuing education credit in this category.

• Completion of an accredited one-year dental residency program.
• Attendance at, or completion of, an approved advanced education program leading to certification in endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial pathology, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, public health, or oral maxillofacial radiology.
• A maximum of five (5) hours can be received by a student or an instructor for basic CPR courses and a maximum of fifteen (15) hours can be received by a student or instructor for advanced CLS courses.
• A maximum of twenty (20) hours can be given for any form of written or electronic media distance learning courses. A written or electronic media distance learning course must include a written post-test, and the test must be retained by the licensee as an additional record of completion for the course.
• The State Board has confirmed that live,synchronous (the instructor and licensee interact with each other in real time) virtual courses DO NOT REQUIRE a written post-test and are considered virtual courses.
• A maximum of twenty (20) hours can be completed virtually. The other twenty (20) hours must be completed in-person.Webinars are not considered electronic media distance learning courses if they are live (not previously recorded) and synchronous (the instructor and registrant interact with each other in real time).Live, interactive webinars are considered in-person sessions that count toward live continuing education requirements.
• A maximum of seven (7) hours can be given for practice management / managed care courses.

For registration renewal beginning November 1, 2023, the following 10 hours must be completed.

One Hour in Prescription Opioid Drugs

This training includes educational programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs including:

• Responsible prescribing practices
• Alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain
• The risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion

Two Hours in Preventing and Controlling Infectious Diseases

This also includes training on managing personnel health and safety concerns related to infection control in dental settings. Examples include:

• Modes of disease transmission and the chain of infection
• Strategies that can prevent occupational exposures to blood and bodily fluids
• Methods to ensure that patient-care items and environmental surfaces are safe for use
• Selection and use of safe dental devices and dental water quality assurance and practice monitoring
• Evaluation of dental infection control programs

Three Hours with Practical Hands-On Certification for CPR

These three hours need to meet the American Heart Association certification standards for healthcare providers.The training must include:

• Use of AED
• Unconscious and conscious choking
• Rescue breathing (which cannot be completed virtually)

Three Hours of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine

This training must include the appropriate use of:

• Analgesics
• Antibiotics
• Local anesthesia / agents to control anxiety
• Drug (medication) knowledge and interactions
• Prescription writing
• Abuse of prescriptions by patients
• Taking complete medical histories
• The use of the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP)

One Hour in Professional Ethics and NJ Law Concerning the Practice of Dentistry

Examples include:

• Dental ethics
• Professionalism
• New Jersey jurisprudence (the online New Jersey Jurisprudence orientation shall not satisfy this continuing education requirement)
• Ethical issues concerning the abuse of prescriptions by patients
• Child abuse
• Competence and judgment
• Patient confidentiality

A licensee can obtain continuing education credits from any of the areas of study listed below. A licensee cannot receive credit for more than the maximum number of hours permitted in each biennial period.

Licensees who complete the required twenty (20) hours credit pursuant of the requirements for parenteral conscious sedation and/or general anesthesia permit holders shall be given credit for all twenty (20) hours completed.

Educational and Scientific Courses Related to the Practice of Dentistry

A licensee may obtain forty (40) hours of continuing education credit in this category.

• Completion of an accredited one year dental residency program
• Attendance at, or completion of, an approved advanced education program leading to certification in endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial pathology, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, public health, or oral and maxillofacial radiology
• A maximum of five (5) hours can be received by a student or an instructor for basic CPR courses and a maximum of fifteen (15) hours can be received by a student or instructor for advanced CLS courses.
• A maximum of twenty (20) hours can be given for any form of written or electronic media distance learning courses. A written or electronic media distance learning course must include a written post test, and the test must be retained by the licensee as an additional record of completion for the course.
• A maximum of seven (7) hours can be given for practice management / managed care courses

Papers, Publications, and Scientific Presentations

A licensee may obtain a maximum of twenty (20) hours of credit in this category.

• A maximum of ten (10) hours can be given for each original scientific paper authored by the licensee and published in a refereed journal. At the discretion of the Board, the ten (10) hours may be divided among co-authors based upon the length of the scientific paper and the contributions of each author.
• For each original presentation of a paper, essay, or formal lecture to a recognized group of fellow professionals as part of a course or program eligible for Board approval for credit pursuant to this section, a licensee can receive two (2) hours of credit for every hour of presentation

Teaching and Research Appointments

A licensee involved in teaching or research activities at least one full day or the equivalent of one full day per week per academic year and who holds at least a part time faculty or research appointment can receive five (5) hours of credit annually for each full day of teaching or research activity up to a maximum of ten (10) hours of credit per biennial period or two and one half hours annually for each half day of teaching or search activity up to a maximum of five (5) hours per biennial period.

Table Clinics and Scientific Exhibits

A licensee may obtain a maximum of eight (8) hours in this category.

• A licensee may obtain up to one (1) hour credit for each two hours of original presentation of a table clinic or scientific exhibit at a professional meeting.

The Board may waive up to one-half of the required biennial continuing education hours for a licensee who renders volunteer dental services to eligible persons. An eligible person means:

• Any person under the age of 19 whose parent or guardian attests that they meet the eligibility requirements for, and is enrolled in, the NJ FamilyCare Program
• A child who is in the custody of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families
• Any person who attests that they meet the eligibility requirements for, and is enrolled in, the Medicaid program, the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled program, or the Senior Gold Prescription Discount program

The Board may, in its discretion, waive all or a portion of the requirements on an individual basis for reasons of hardship such as illness or disability or other good cause. To seek a waiver for requirements, the licensee must apply to the Board in writing and explain with specificity the reason(s) for requesting the waiver.

For registration renewal beginning January 1, 2023 for hygienists and January 1, 2024 for assistants, the following 6 hours must be completed.

3 Hours with Practical Hands-On Certification for CPR
These 3 hours must meet the American Heart Association certification standards for healthcare providers. Webinars and electronic media distance learning courses shall not satisfy this requirement. The training shall include

• The use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)
• Unconscious and conscious choking
• Rescue breathing

1 Hour in Preventing and Controlling Infectious Diseases
This training also includes managing personnel health and safety concerns related to infection control in dental settings. Examples include:

• Modes of disease transmission and the chain of infection
• Strategies that can prevent occupational exposures to blood and bodily fluids
• Methods to ensure that patient-care items and environmental surfaces are safe for use
• Selection and use of safe dental devices and dental water quality assurance and practice monitoring
• Evaluation of dental infection control programs

1 Hour in Professional Ethics and New Jersey law Concerning the Practice of Dental Hygiene or Dental Assisting
Examples include:

• Dental ethics
• Professionalism
• New Jersey Jurisprudence (The online New Jersey Jurisprudence orientation shall not satisfy this requirement)
• Ethical issues concerning the abuse of prescriptions by patients
• Child abuse
• Competence and judgment
• Patient confidentiality

1 Hour in Prescription Opioid Drugs
This training includes educational programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs. Examples include:

• The risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion

The following shall be considered acceptable forms of continuing education:

Scientific Courses Applicable to the Delivery of Dental Care by Dental Hygienist or Dental Auxiliaries
Examples include:

• Preventive services
• Radiography
• Dental photography
• Nutrition
• Patient counseling
• Community health
• CPR or Advanced CLS certification
• Infection control

Courses Which Directly Relate to or Concern the Practice of Dentistry
Examples include:

• Organization and office management
• Office design
• Communication skills
• Behavioral science
• Dental-legal matters
• Methods of health care delivery

Teaching and Research Appointments
A licensee or registrant involved in teaching or research activities at least one full day or the equivalent of one full day per week per academic year and who holds at least a part-time faculty or research appointment shall receive 2 hours of continuing education credit annually for each full day of teaching or research up to a maximum of 4 hours of credit per biennial period and 1 credit annually for each half day of teaching or research up to a maximum of 2 hours of credit per biennial period.

The Board shall recognize as acceptable the courses of study and amount of hours credited in continuing education programs approved by the following, provided that the courses satisfy the minimum requirements set forth:

• The American Dental Association and its constituents and components
• The Academy of General Dentistry and its constituents and components
• The American Dental Hygienists Association and its constituents and components
• The American Dental Assistants' Association and its constituents and components
• Accredited colleges or universities

Consistent with the provisions of this subsection, the Board shall waive up to one-half of the required biennial continuing dental hygiene education hours set forth for a licensee who renders volunteer services as a clinician to eligible persons as defined at N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.1.

• One half-hour of one continuing dental hygiene education credit hour shall be waived for each hour of volunteer clinician service. "Volunteer clinician service" means clinician services provided, without charge, to an eligible person, as defined at N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.1, or to a minor in a primary school, secondary school, or other school setting, or to a patient through a dental clinic as defined by section 1 of P.L. 1951, c.199 (N.J.S.A. 45:6-15.1), consistent with the requirements provided.
• The six mandatory continuing education hours set forth shall not be eligible for waiver.
• As part of the biennial renewal, a licensee shall submit to the Board, on a form supplied by the Board and available on the Board's website (www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/den), documentation evidencing the total number of credits that are eligible for waiver in accordance with this subsection.