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License renewal · North Carolina

Dental Hygienist License Renewal in North Carolina

The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners sets the rules. Renewal: annually; deadline: law requires renewal with payment by January 1 of each year; may renew until January 31 without penalty. Continuing education: 6 clock hours each calendar year. Each fact below is quoted from an official state source, linked beside it, and was checked on 2026-10-09. Confirm with the board before you rely on it: rules change.

Renewal cycle and deadline

annually — law requires renewal with payment by January 1 of each year; may renew until January 31 without penalty

Source: ncdentalboard.org

Continuing education

6 clock hours each calendar year.

  • Current CPR certification required in addition to the CE hours (hands-on or blended; online-only not accepted)
  • Only for hygienists holding a DEA license and NC prescribing privileges: a course with at least one hour on opioid prescribing

Any or all hours may be self-study with a test and certificate; new licensees exempt their first year

Source: ncdentalboard.org · ncdentalboard.org

CPR / BLS

Current certification in CPR is required in addition to the mandatory continuing education hours.

Source: ncdentalboard.org

Late renewal and lapse

$50.00 penalty fee after January 31 (cannot be waived); licenses not renewed by March 31 become void, and continuing to practice without a valid renewal certificate is a Class I misdemeanor; void licenses must be reinstated by the Board ($60 reinstatement fee for hygienists plus renewal fee).

Source: ncdentalboard.org

Verify a license

The board's public lookup: portal.ncdentalboard.org

For the office manager

The renewal is the hygienist's to complete, but a lapsed license is the practice's problem on the schedule. Keep each hygienist's expiry date where an alert reaches both of you well before it, long enough for any CE still owed. The free renewal calendar makes reminders for your own calendar; LVL Up Performance keeps the dates on each staff record and alerts ahead. Neither tracks CE hours or checks anything with the board.

Sources, quoted

  • “All licensed dentists and dental hygienists must renew their licenses annually.” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “The law requires renewal with proper payment by January 1 of each year, but licenses may be renewed until January 31st without penalty fee” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “each dental hygienist must complete a minimum of six clock hours of continuing education each calendar year.” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “Current certification in CPR is required in addition to the mandatory continuing education hours.” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “After January 31st, the Board is required to charge a $50.00 penalty fee for renewal of any license.” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “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.” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “You must have taken a course including at least one hour on the prescribing of opioids” — ncdentalboard.org
  • “To find a dentist or dental hygienist, please enter either a license number, first or last name in the text boxes provided.” — ncdentalboard.org

Checked 2026-10-09. Something out of date? Write to mauricio@lvlupperformance.com and we will fix it. This page is information, not legal advice.

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