Licensure, renewal, and continuing education requirements
License and initial requirements
A person must hold a North Carolina dental hygiene license to practice. Initial licensure requires graduation from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene program, passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a Board-accepted clinical examination, current BLS/CPR, and completion of the Board's laws-and-rules examination. The Board reviews applications and criminal-history information; applicants must disclose prior disciplinary actions and convictions.
Renewal and CE
Hygiene licenses renew annually, with the renewal and CE reporting deadline of March 31. The Board requires 15 hours of continuing education per year for dental hygienists, including the Board-mandated infection-control component, and current CPR. CE must be from Board-recognized providers and documented; it cannot be carried over indefinitely. Practicing after March 31 with an expired license is unlicensed practice, even if the renewal is later submitted.
Worked example
A hygienist earns 8 hours at a dental convention in October and plans to make up the rest "next year." That fails: the license year closes March 31, and the 15-hour requirement is annual. The hygienist must complete Board-approved hours before renewal, keep certificates, and renew on time. If short, the hygienist should not see patients until the license is active.
Traps
- Counting CPR as the full infection-control requirement; CPR is separate.
- Assuming CE hours can be banked across years.
- Treating the March 31 date as a grace period.
- Missing the laws-and-rules examination as a licensure condition.