Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing)
Iowa dentist CE requirements
The published continuing-education requirements for a Iowa dental license, laid out clearly so you can see the whole picture before your renewal.
What the board requires
- 30 hrsTotal per biennial cycle.
- 1 hrsInfection control, counted within the total.
- 1 hrsIowa jurisprudence related to the practice of dentistry, counted within the total.
- 1 hrsOpioid prescribing (conditional: required only if the dentist prescribed opioids to a patient during the biennium), counted within the total.
- 2 hrsMandatory reporter training - child abuse (conditional on regularly providing dental services to children), counted within the total.
- 2 hrsMandatory reporter training - dependent adult abuse (conditional on regularly providing dental services to adults; mapped to closest vocabulary slug), counted within the total.
- Up to 12 hrsSelf-study activities capped at 12 hours per renewal period.
- Up to 6 hrsTeaching as adjunct faculty capped at 6 hours per renewal period.
- Up to 20 hrsPublication of scientific articles capped at 20 hours per renewal period (5 hours per article).
- RequiredCPR/cardiopulmonary certification must be current for renewal per 481-Chapter 572 (counts up to 3 CE hours toward the 30; PALS or ACLS counts hour-for-hour, so it is not purely non-counting) (does not count toward CE hours).
Common questions
How many CE hours do Iowa dentists need?
30 hours per biennial renewal cycle. That is what CEChart has on file from the source cited on this page, not a figure confirmed against Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing), so check it with the board before you rely on it.
Which specific topics does Iowa require?
1 hour infection control; 1 hour iowa jurisprudence related to the practice of dentistry; 1 hour opioid prescribing (conditional: required only if the dentist prescribed opioids to a patient during the biennium); 2 hours mandatory reporter training - child abuse (conditional on regularly providing dental services to children); 2 hours mandatory reporter training - dependent adult abuse (conditional on regularly providing dental services to adults; mapped to closest vocabulary slug). These count inside the total, not on top of it. Not confirmed against Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) yet.
Are there limits on how Iowa dentists can earn CE hours?
Yes: self-study activities capped at 12 hours per renewal period (up to 12 hours); teaching as adjunct faculty capped at 6 hours per renewal period (up to 6 hours); publication of scientific articles capped at 20 hours per renewal period (5 hours per article) (up to 20 hours). Not confirmed against Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) yet.
Does Iowa require anything besides CE hours?
Yes: CPR/cardiopulmonary certification must be current for renewal per 481-Chapter 572 (counts up to 3 CE hours toward the 30; PALS or ACLS counts hour-for-hour, so it is not purely non-counting). That is a credential you hold, not CE hours you count. Not confirmed against Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) yet.
Can Iowa CE hours carry over to the next cycle?
Up to 15 hours may carry into the next cycle. CEChart does not model carryover, so no progress figure here includes it. Not confirmed against Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) yet.
Can CEChart track my Iowa CE automatically?
Not yet. We show the Iowa requirements and their sources, but we do not run an automatic Iowa calculator until every number is confirmed against Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing).
Source: Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) (https://dial.iowa.gov/licenses/medical/dental/resources/dental-ce-overview/renewal-ce). These are the published requirements as we read them, not legal or board advice, and CEChart does not certify compliance. Confirm your requirements with Iowa Dental Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing) before you rely on them.
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