3.2 CE Credit Categories, Documentation, Audits & Waivers (Den 406.04–406.06)

CE Credit Categories, Documentation, Audits, and Waivers

No pre-approval — Den 406.05(a)–(b)

The Board does not pre-approve courses. Each licensee chooses courses directly related to the practice of dentistry or dental hygiene. Whether a course counts, and how much, is judged against the categories in Den 406.06, usually at audit.

Credit categories — Den 406.06

Applying the percentage caps

Live webinars fall inside the 75% cap. Den 406.06(d) groups "audio-visual or online programs or live webinars" together, so a dentist who completes all 40 hours by webinar has 10 CEUs that do not count. At least 10 hours (dentist) or 5 hours (hygienist) must come from in-person formats.

Documentation — Den 406.05(c)–(e) and 406.03(e)

Keep course records for at least 3 years from the date the course was completed. Documentation must contain seven elements:

1. name of the licensee;
2. full name of the course;
3. date of the course;
4. location where it was given;
5. duration in days and hours;
6. name and mailing address of the provider;
7. number of CEUs.

Certificates or printouts from the Academy of General Dentistry, the NH Dental Society, the ADA, and their recognized specialty organizations, or the ADHA, the NH Dental Hygienists' Association, or their sponsoring organization are acceptable (Den 406.05(e)).

Audits

Den 401.07 subjects licensees to continuing-competency audits under Plc 308.04(d), and Den 406.03(e) requires documentation to be produced for random audit on request. Each renewal addendum asks the licensee to affirm completion of 40 or 20 hours. Submitting false information is itself a violation. Den 501.01(o) requires licensees to submit only truthful and correct information in any application or document filed with the Board or OPLC.

Waivers — Den 406.04

A licensee who could not meet the biennial CE requirement because of severe illness, incapacity, or other hardship submits a written petition to the Board explaining why. The waiver is granted if the Board finds that the hardship prevented compliance, under the Den 201.02 waiver process (written request, compliance plan, 30-day and 60-day response timelines; see section 1.3).

Common audit pitfalls

• Missing elements on certificates: a certificate without the course duration in days and hours, or without the provider's mailing address, does not meet Den 406.05(d).
• Records discarded too soon: certificates must be kept at least 3 years. A licensee audited after one renewal cycle who discarded records cannot prove compliance.
• Partial attendance: Den 406.03(d) requires completing the entire course or course segment, so leaving a full-day course at noon does not earn a prorated share.
• Treating webinars as in-person: live webinars are inside the 75% cap.
• Carrying hours forward: surplus hours from the last biennium never count toward the current one (Den 406.03(f)).

Worked example: a hygienist's biennium

Maria, RDH, submits 20 CEUs:

Problems:

1. Online and webinar cap: 12 + 4 = 16 exceeds the hygienist cap of 15, so only 15 count.
2. Infection control: Den 406.03(a)(3) requires at least 2 CEUs; she has 1.
3. Medical emergencies: none reported, but 2 CEUs are required.
4. Total counted: 15 + 3 + 1 = 19, which is below 20.

To fix this, Maria needs at least one more in-person hour (to replace the over-cap webinar hour), one more infection-control CEU, and two medical-emergency CEUs. Planning these as in-person courses solves both the cap and the content gaps.