Colorado dentists must complete at least 30 hours of CE per licensure cycle to renew, reactivate or reinstate their licenses. This rule is for any dentist who holds an active dental license, including academic dentists. Retired and inactive licensees are exempt from this requirement.
You will be required to attest to completion of continuing education (CE) credits during each license renewal.
If a license is issued within one year of a renewal date, no CE will be required for that first renewal period. If a license is issued outside one year of a renewal date, then 15 hours of Colorado Dental Board-approved CE will be required for that first renewal period.
The 30 hours of CE must comply with the following:
- At least 16 of the required 30 CE hours must be clinical or science-based.
- At least 50% of the required CE hours must be live and interactive. This may include web-based courses. *
- CE must be recognized or offered by one of the following groups:
- American Dental Association (ADA) Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP);
- Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE);
- American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Recognition Award (PRA) and credit system as Category 1 Credit; or
- Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited institutions.
- At least one hour of CE must be opioid prescribing training. **
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare providers is required of all licensees and up to two hours of BLS may be counted toward the total 30 hours of CE required.
- A dentist presenting a course may count up to six total hours of the course hours presented.
- CE required as part of a disciplinary measure may not be counted toward the required 30 hours.
The Colorado Dental Board Rules refer to CE requirements on page 11 and 12 (section G).
*ALLOWANCES FOR WEB-BASED COURSES:
During 2020 when live CE courses were not an option due to social distancing, the Colorado Dental Board stated that CE requirements for licensure would be flexible due to this unusual circumstance. As the current license renewal cycle nears its close, the CDA has requested clarification of this “flexibility.” Last month, the dental board issued a new policy document.
Policy 1.HH states:
1.HH. Continuing Education Clarification Policy (Adopted 1/22/2020)
The purpose of this policy is to clarify Rule 1.3 (G)(9) – Continuing Education Requirements for Dentists, Dentists Issued an Academic License, and Dental Hygienists.
Rule 1.3 (G)(9) states that at least fifty percent of the required continuing education hours must be live and interactive. The Board has determined that “live and interactive” continuing education meeting this requirement may also include web-based courses as long as the course provides the opportunity for interaction between the participants and the instructor. Interaction meeting this requirement includes the opportunity and ability for course participants to ask questions in real-time, and for the instructor to answer participant questions in real-time
**OPIOID TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:
In 2019, SB19-228 added a new training requirement for all prescribers of opioids. Read the CDA article about this here.
In November 2019, the Colorado Dental Board adopted rules that require at least one hour of training (out of up to four possible hours) per license renewal cycle. Opioid training can be counted toward the required 30 bi-annual continuing education credits ONLY if the course meets all requirements for CE credits (as outlined in Dental Board Rule 1.3 (G) – primarily that the course is ADA CERP, AGD PACE, AMA Category 1 or CODA recognized) and addresses at least one of the four topical areas noted in the CDA article linked above.
The Colorado Dental Board asks that once a course is completed you obtain documentation from the course that includes course sponsor, course title, date(s), hours, and the course verification of completion certificate or form. Keep these records on file for at least two license renewal cycles after the course was completed. The Colorado Dental Board will perform audits to verify compliance. If you are audited, you will need to produce the required documentation to prove that hours were completed in accordance with the CE requirements.
Enter your CE in the CE Member Depository. You will need your ADA number and password to login.