CECEChart

Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry

Massachusetts dentist CE requirements

The published continuing-education requirements for a Massachusetts dental license, laid out clearly so you can see the whole picture before your renewal.

What the board requires

  • 40 hrsTotal per biennial cycle.
  • 0 hrsInfection control (CDC Guidelines), counted within the total.
  • 0 hrsSafe opioid prescribing / pain management training (M.G.L. c. 94C, § 18(e)) (if dentist who holds a massachusetts controlled substance registration (mcsr), a dea registration, or who otherwise prescribes within the meaning of m.g.l. c. 94c), counted within the total.
  • Up to 20 hrsSelf-instruction / individual study course cap (home study, on-line, correspondence, audio or video).
  • Up to 20 hrsTeaching / continuing education instruction cap.
  • Up to 20 hrsPublication cap (234 CMR 8.05, Category 4) - reported by Extractor B only.
  • RequiredContinuous certification in CPR/AED or BLS (ACLS or PALS if holding an anesthesia permit, commensurate with permit level) (does not count toward CE hours).
One honest caveat. We have not yet confirmed every number against the primary board source, so we are not running an automatic Massachusetts calculator. We would rather leave it out than guess. Confirm the exact requirements with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry.
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Common questions

How many CE hours do Massachusetts dentists need?

40 hours per biennial renewal cycle.

Which specific topics does Massachusetts require?

0 hours infection control (cdc guidelines), 0 hours safe opioid prescribing / pain management training (m.g.l. c. 94c, § 18(e)).

Source: Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry (https://www.mass.gov/regulations/234-CMR-800-continuing-education). PROPOSAL ONLY - nothing verified; Brian signs off later. Both extractors independently reached the same cycle (24-month biennial, due Mar 31 of even years) and total (40 CEUs for a dentist under M.G.L. c. 112 §45, per 234 CMR 8.02(1)), and both flagged that the required subjects (CDC Guidelines/infection control; opioid safe-prescribing) carry no fixed hour count in 234 CMR 8.03. The reconciler flagged this doc because: (1) the two extractors disagree on within-vs-unclear counting for both required topics; (2) B reported 'unclear' counting; (3) B found a publication format cap A missed; and (4) neither extractor reached a live primary source - mass.gov returned HTTP 403, so all quotes come from the Cornell LII mirror of 234 CMR (reproduces current code, last amended 2018 per LII). CPR/AED-or-BLS continuous certification (ACLS/PALS if anesthesia permit) is treated as a required non-CE credential, not CEU hours. Carryover: none (234 CMR 8.02(9)). No format is categorically excluded; 234 CMR 8.04(1) excludes 'personal financial/retirement planning' as a SUBJECT (not a format). Provider acceptance is broad (accredited educational/service institutions, professional associations/societies, gov health agencies, teaching hospitals) - MA does NOT name or require ADA CERP or AGD PACE, hence providerAccepts=state_approved and providerStrict=false. Two additional caps noted by the extracto EXTRACTION FLAGS (why this is not yet verified): - COUNTING DISAGREEMENT: Extractor A set infection_control and opioid_pain counting='within'; Extractor B set both to 'unclear'. 234 CMR 8.03 lists these as a 'condition precedent to renewal' with NO fixed hour count and does not state whether they fall within or on top of the 40 CEUs. Assembled as 'within' (A's reading, and no additive hours are mandated) but the board text does not make this unambiguous - HUMAN VERIFY. - UNCLEAR COUNTING PRESENT: Extractor B reported counting='unclear' for both required topics, which alone forces flagged_ambiguous under the decision rule. - FORMAT-CAP MISMATCH: Extractor B found a publication cap (20 CEUs, 234 CMR 8.05 Category 4) that Extractor A did not report. Included in formatCaps for completeness but corroborated by only one extractor. - SECONDARY-SOURCE ONLY: The primary board host (mass.gov, incl. 234cmr8.pdf) returned HTTP 403 to both extractors. All verbatim quotes and every sourceUrl (totalSourceUrl included) point to the Cornell LII mirror (law.cornell.edu), NOT a live primary board/state-code source. No live primary source was reached. - TOPIC HOURS UNQUANTIFIED: Both required topics carry hours=0 meaning the regulation assigns no fixed CEU count - NOT that zero hours are required. Opioid training content/hours live in referenced statute M.G.L. c. 94C §18(e), which neither extractor extracted. These are the published requirements as we read them, not legal or board advice, and CEChart does not certify compliance. Confirm your requirements with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry before you rely on them.

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