- NCDS On-Line Continuing Education (DenTrek)
- General Information
- Download CE Record Keeping Form
- NC State Board of Dental Examiner CE Requirements
- License Renewal Information
- CE Links
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NCDS ON-LINE CONTINUING EDUCATION
NCDS members can take a FREE class. Also watch your mail for a voucher for $70 toward CE classes. To experience the free class just visit www.dentrek.com or click on the banner above. Once you arrive on the DenTrek home page, click on the GO button next to the words "Take a Free CE Webcast." Follow the instructions and you will create your own DenTrek account. Once your account is created, look in your account section and you will see the title of the free class, "Philosophy and Principles of Infection Control". Click on the title and it will take you into the DenTrek classroom where you can take the class and receive CE credit. Once you have created your DenTrek account, you can register and purchase any CE course you wish from the DenTrek library. A consolidated listing of Dental Continuing Education Programs will enable North Carolina Dental Society members to explore Continuing Education Programs that will meet their CE needs. In order to accomplish the goal of listing and keeping current all CE Courses that are offered we will need your assistance. We need all organizations that sponsor Dental CE for dentists and dental staff to share their program information with the NCDS. This would include the Charlotte Holiday Dental Conference, the NCAGD, each district and local society, and any other organizations you may know about. You can do this by contacting the North Carolina Dental Society at 800-662-8754, mailing the information to NCDS, P.O. Box 4099, Cary, NC 27519, faxing to (919) 677-1397 or by sending e-mail to pallen@ncdental.org. By participating, we can see what programs and dates interest us. This will allow us a chance to plan ahead as well as meet the requirements for Continuing Education for license renewals set forth by the NC State Board of Dental Examiners. Let's make this work by creating and establishing an informative network of Continuing Education Programs throughout the State. CE Record Keeping Form Each year you are required to keep official records of your continuing education hours. Click here to download a CE Record Keeping Form to track your hours. (click here if you are unable to open the pdf document) This form does not serve as official documentation of your CE. You must obtain the official documentation from the organization sponsoring the continuing education class. NC
State Board of Dental Examiner CE Requirement How will I report my continuing education hours? Continuing education became mandatory January 1, 1995. Every year, dentists must complete 15 hours and hygienists must complete 6 hours. The one-year period spans one calendar year (thus those who are initially licensed in the middle of the year have one and a half years to complete their CE). In addition to the mandatory CE, both dentists and hygienists are required to maintain current CPR. The number of CE hours completed each year is reported on the license renewal form. No documentation of course work will be sent to the Board’s office. Each person is responsible for maintaining his/her own documentation of CE courses completed "for at least three years and shall be produced upon request of the Board." Do correspondence courses through professional journals count toward the required CE hours? The Board has determined that dentists may obtain up to 3 of their required 15 hours and hygienists may obtain up to 2 hours of their required 6 through correspondence courses which have posttests and issue certificates of completion. Which courses and sponsors are approved for CE hours? 1. Courses must be directly related to patient care. Courses stressing practice management, for example, could not count, while courses in sterilization and infection control, pharmacology, dental materials and dental procedures are acceptable. 2. CPR must always be current. 3. Approved sponsors for CE hours include: those providers who are recognized by the American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, courses sponsored the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental or American Dental Hygienists’ Association or components of such organizations, the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers, educational institutions with dental, dental hygiene or dental assisting schools or departments, and national, state, or local societies or associations.(Study clubs are considered "associations.") Do retired dentists and hygienists have to take continuing education? The rule requiring continuing education of all licensees requires all licensed dentists and hygienists to take CE courses. If you have a license, you must complete the required number of hours. The only exception to this is for those dentists who have reached an advanced age and are retired or semi-retired and are exempted from CE by the Board. Only those individuals who request exemption and receive a Board letter indicating that they are exempt from the CE requirement are legally exempt. The Board defines a "retired dentist" as one who never practices; and a "semi-retired" dentist practices 100 hours a year or less. Is there any provision for giving CE credit? Yes, a dentist or dental hygienist who is a full-time faculty member in a dental, dental hygiene or dental assisting school may receive credit (Dentists: 10 hrs./yr.; Hygienists: 4hrs./yr.). Part-time faculty receives 1/2 the above. Also licensees who are affiliated with a federal, state, or county government agency whose operation is directly related to dentistry or dental auxiliaries (i.e., a county or state health department, a federal dental clinic, etc.) may receive credit. Full-time affiliation would merit full credit; part-time would merit 1/2 credit. License
Renewal Information All licenses that are not renewed by March 31 become void and continuing to practice without a valid renewal certificate is a Class I misdemeanor. Each day's violation is a separate offense. Licenses not renewed by March 31 must be reinstated by the Board. Reinstatement involves submitting an application and paying a reinstatement fee ($225 for dentists; $60 for dental hygienists) along with the current year's renewal fee.
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