California Dental License Overview
Renewing a California dental license is a necessary and routine process for practicing dentists. The Dental Board of California requires that all licensed dentists renew their licenses every two years, unless they are retired status holders. Failure to renew can result in penalties ranging from fines to suspension of the license. As with most things, the earlier you start the process, the easier it can be.
To renew a California dental license, licensees are required to submit a renewal application, pay a renewal fee (generally $540 for dentists), and verify completion of required Continuing Education (CE) units. In addition, there are new requirements (which may change for future renewal cycles) aimed at opioid painkiller abuse prevention which must be completed over the preceding two years. These new requirements consist of two hours of education on the topic of safe and effective prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances , and three hours of training relating to the treatment and management of patients with, or at risk for, diseases transmitted through patient care procedures. For dentists that submit an application between their expiration date and the notice of renewal, there is a $120 late fee, if they submit an application after December 31st (or two months after the expiration date) they will be considered delinquent and will be billed a $180 delinquency fee. Further, any dentist that submits renewal application after the last day of February of the year immediately following the year in which the license expired shall submit a complete set of fingerprints.
Continuing Education (CE) for California Dentists
Continuing education requirements for license renewal are intended to ensure that dentists keep up with the health care industry and change with the times. California dental license renewal requires valid proof of completed continuing education hours and courses. In California, dentists with active licenses must complete a total of 50 hours of continuing education during each two year period. The required coursework must be related to dentistry and self-instruction courses may not qualify. The Board of Dentistry (BOD) allows several different types of coursework to count toward the 50 hour requirement. Every dentist renewing a license must submit proof of having completed at least one course of infection control during each renewal period. Specific infection control courses approved by the BOD include, but are not limited to, programs listed in the California Code of Regulations (CCR), as well as course on infection control procedures and the causes of infectious diseases offered by A A class hospitals, community hospitals, and colleges and universities. Other courses, including those fee offered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), are also approved for inclusion under certain stricter requirements. Another request made in the application for license renewal includes proof of completion of at least two hours of courses relevant to the laws and regulations specific to the practice of dentistry. This course is recommended to be completed within two years of initial licensure. Some highly specialized courses explicitly approved by the BOD or through CCR also count towards the CE requirement. Some contain no fee and others offer a fee waiver to attendees. Before the beginning of the renewal period dentists should be aware if they have a license that allows for any type of exemption from these requirements. For example, an inactive license received an exemption from CE requirements effective date 1/1/04 and has carried over for every renewal period since, although an exception may result from extenuating circumstances.
Approved CE Course Providers
The Board of Dental Examiners of California recognizes a variety of providers as approved sources of certified continuing education programs. Organizations such as the American Dental Association (ADA), the California Dental Association (CDA), and other prominent dental associations are generally accepted as reputable entities that can qualify for CE credit in California. Professional schools, dental education association affiliates, dental and dental hygiene residencies, the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), and government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense and the Veteran’s Administration are also approved providers of qualifying CE courses. Additionally, general medical organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) are also approved.
The ADA and CDA offer various options for fulfilling CE requirements, including their own on-site CE programs. The ADA’s CE database is easily searchable by state, provider, and course subject to help you find an appropriate program. Individual members of the ADA and CDA and ADA-accredited dental assistants can access on-demand courses for discounted prices. In addition to the ADA and state associations, many CE providers, including universities and colleges, professional planning bodies, and professional content developers, also deliver CE programs at no cost to practitioners. The list of providers that offer free or significantly reduced-cost CE programs, many of which are online, are available on the dental board’s website and can be filtered by discipline.
Record Keeping for CE Requirements
To ensure compliance with the CE requirements, dentists should maintain detailed records of all the courses they have completed. These records may be requested during the biennial renewal process, and may also be subject to audit by the California Dental Board (CDB).
Each dentist is required to keep a record of the following:
• Name of the licensee
• Provider of the course
• Location of the course
• Title of the particular course
• Number of hours attended of the particular course
• Date of completion of the course
• Signature of the provider (or official designee) verifying attendance and completion of the course
• Signature of the licensee verifying attendance and completion of the course
• Description or outline of the content of the course
• Copy of verification of completion/certificate
The above list describes records that are mandatory for the CDB to request. No other documentation is required by the CDB, although supporting evidence is often helpful in establishing the validity of compliance. All documentation should be kept a minimum of four years, along with documentation to support any exceptions you may be claiming as a reason for non-compliance, such as coursework taken in other states or on-line courses taken offered by providers not approved by the CDB.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
While it may seem simple, California dental license renewal can be a minefield of pitfalls if you are not careful. Having encountered thousands of dentists grapple with the CE requirements over the years, I have compiled a list of the most common mistakes made on license renewals and how to avoid them.
The fact is that in California you cannot fake CE credits, just ask the person who got a six-figure penalty for allegedly doing it! Under California law, you will have to answer questions about your CE requirements that fall within certain categories that are mandated by law under Business and Professions Code Section 1646. That is the law that states that a dentist must have 50 units of continuing education before the license expiration date, including the mandated two units on California laws and ethics. Compliance with this requirement does not guarantee you will get your license renewed and it does not exonerate you if there was a disciplinary or criminal matter either before or after your license expires.
Some other common traps are that dentists do not record when they have taken their CE. All required CE must be in an electronic format and dentists must have an electronic record they can print out. All CE must comply with the "Aperture" rules. It is also important to note no "group CE" will qualify. You can’t just sit in a room with people for several hours and have someone tell you that you all did the CE and go home and tell the dental board that you did it. The group CE must have a reasoned curriculum and proof it was provided to the participants, which is usually a roster of those in attendance at the lecture. The problem with group CE is the definition of "group , " as something under a group arrangement does not count. Also "group" means everybody is in the same place at the same time.
You need to understand the "time frames" of your CE as well. The California dental board has a four year renewal cycle that you must be in compliance with. It is an automatic renewal if you apply for it and you are in compliance. There is a four-year window of time for the acquisition of CE. The CE cannot be acquired one month before the renewal due date, but it can be acquired three years and 11 months before the renewal due date. The problem is that "good luck getting your license approved" at 1199 pm the day of license renewal. People lose cases because they think the CE can be acquired after the renewal is due and the license can be approved. This can create compliance problems for people.
Another issue is called "CE made easy," where the dental board has a "presumed maximum time" that certain courses are considered to have been obtained. Among these courses are CPR courses, infection control, laws and ethics, etc. These are time limited units. Thus, you do not want to do a CPR course every year for four years and then claim 300 minutes of it in your four-year renewal window, as it is against the rules. Something else dentists do is they hurry up and submit to the board the renewal application early and forget about really complying with the whole process. This does not work either. Finally, I see a lot of errors with dentists doing courses online and they do not know, for example, that online CE does not carry over into the next renewal cycle and is limited to only 10 percent of the renewal requirement.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Failure to meet CE requirements can operate to prevent license renewal, and in most cases, will result in a fine. Unfortunately, subjects that the Dental Board deems not to have met the requirements can be reviewed by a panel that indicates that you must take additional classes to meet those requirements. These can be lengthy, hundreds of hours of courses, and costly.
In some cases, you can attend a class and request that the panel waive additional requirements. In the worst case scenario, however, if you dispute what the Board finds you require and bring before a panel for determination, and the panel determines that you must strengthen your coursework, they can impose about $500 per credit unit course as a penalty and it is a good amount of money. If they do not like your courses, or the fact that you brought your dispute before them, then they can penalize you.
This means a minimum of something like 100 hours at close to $50,000. So there are times to play hardball, and there are times when you just suck it up and meet the requirements. There are other consequences of not taking the courses, which might include losing your staff privileges at hospitals you are already on staff at, embarrassing articles about you in the papers, embarrassment to the professionals included, and a few other things that really might be damaging to your practice.
In short, you probably need to spend the money and the time and avoid the $500 per credit unit penalty and the bad press.
Useful Resources and Assistance for California Dentists
For California dental license renewal and CE requirements, the following resources can be helpful: The CDA offers education resources on a wide range of topics, including some relevant to CE requirements and license renewal. CDA members receive discounts and preferred access. The Journal of the California Dental Association is a monthly publication that includes articles on evidence-based clinical and practice management strategies. It also covers legal issues for dental practices. The Dental Board of California is helpful for addressing specific cases , rules, deadlines and procedures for CE or license renewals. Of particular note is the necessary CE regarding infection-control available through the board’s site. For the latest in dental law trends and developments, the American Dental Association provides information for its members regarding both state-level and national legal updates.