Your board sets the rules
Every state board decides how many hours you need, how long the cycle is, and which subjects are required. Many also limit how many hours can be self-study or online, and some require specific courses such as infection control, medical emergencies or controlled-substance prescribing. These rules change, so read your own board's current requirements at the start of each cycle rather than relying on what a colleague in another state does.
What to save from every course
- The date you completed it
- The course title and the provider
- The hours or credits awarded
- The certificate itself, as a PDF or a photo
Boards can ask for proof, and an audit is not the moment to go hunting through old emails. Save the certificate the day you get it.
Recognised providers
Two national programs recognise dental CE providers in the US: the ADA's Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP) and the AGD's Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE). Many state boards accept courses from providers recognised by either, but your board's rules are what count, so check before you pay for a course you need for renewal. The AGD keeps a search for PACE-approved providers, and the ADA has a course search for CERP-recognised providers.
Count down, not up
The useful number is not how many hours you have. It is how many you still need and how long you have left. Set the requirement and the cycle end once, add each course as you finish it, and the gap stays visible all cycle instead of ambushing you at the end.
Choose CE that changes what you do
Required hours get done one way or another. The hours you choose are the ones that shape your career. Start from your own work: what do you do now, and what is the next step you want? If you place implants but have never done a same-day provisional, a course on exactly that is worth more than another general implant overview. Hands-on courses tend to change practice more than lectures. And before you book, ask the office whether they would send you those cases afterwards; a skill you never use fades.
How cuspd does it
cuspd's CE tracker keeps your hours against what your board requires, counts down to the end of the cycle, and lists every course with its date, provider and hours. Below that it lists CE for each procedure you track on Clinical development, with the ones that are slipping shown first. Sponsored courses are always marked, and they are matched on your screen; sponsors never see your record. Licence, DEA, CPR and malpractice dates live next door, on Renewals.