N.J. Admin. Code § 13:30-5.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 9, May 6, 2024

Section 13:30-5.1 - Continuing dental education requirements for dentists

(a) Continuing education shall be a mandatory requirement for license renewal, except that the Board shall not require completion of continuing dental education credits for initial registration of dentists. All licensed dentists holding active licenses shall submit a certification verifying completion of 40 hours of continuing dental education every two years at the time of registration renewal, including the 10 mandatory hours of continuing dental education specified at (e) below, except for the following:

1. Except as set forth in (a)2 below, a licensee who was initially licensed during the first year of the preceding biennial period shall submit a certification verifying the completion of 40 credits of continuing dental education. A licensee who was initially licensed during the second year of the preceding biennial period shall submit a certification verifying the completion of 20 credits of continuing dental education; and

2. An individual who graduates from a dental school and is licensed in the first year of the biennial period shall complete 20 credits of continuing education. An individual who graduates from a dental school and is licensed in the second year of the biennial period shall be exempt from continuing education requirements for that biennial period.

(b) One hour of continuing education credit shall be granted for each hour of instruction at lectures, seminars, clinical or laboratory participatory courses, the program portion of dinner and other meetings of national, constituents, and components of dental professional associations recognized by the Board, or other educational methods as may be approved by the Board, excluding time spent at meals, breaks or business sessions. Credit shall be granted only for full instructional hours, but not for less than one instructional hour. Successful completion of an entire course or segment of course instruction is required in order to receive any continuing education credit. Unless otherwise provided, only in class participation, not student time devoted to preparation, shall be counted toward continuing dental education.

(c) It shall be the responsibility of each licensee to maintain a record of all continuing education activity completed and to be prepared to submit evidence of completion of the credit requirements to the Board upon request. Records shall be maintained for two full biennial periods from the date of completion of the continuing education activity. Each licensee shall obtain from the continuing education course sponsor a record of attendance which shall include, at a minimum, the following:

1. The participant's name;

2. The title or subject area of the course;

3. The instructor's name;

4. The course sponsor;

5. The date and location of the course;

6. The number of hours; and

7. Verification of successful completion by the course sponsor.

(d) The Board shall monitor compliance with the mandatory continuing dental education requirement by requesting some licensees, at the discretion of the Board, to provide documentary proof of successful completion of continuing education credits.

(e) All continuing education activities to be accepted for credit shall have significant intellectual or practical content, which deals primarily with matters directly related to the practice of dentistry or with the professional responsibilities or ethical obligations of licensees.

1. The following 10 hours of continuing education shall be completed by each licensee during each biennial renewal period, as required at (a) above:

i. Three hours of continuing education with practical hands-on certification for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which meets the American Heart Association certification standards for healthcare providers. The training shall include the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED), unconscious and conscious choking, and rescue breathing. Webinars and electronic media distance learning courses shall not satisfy this requirement;

ii. Three hours of continuing education of pharmacology and internal medicine, which includes the appropriate use of analgesics, antibiotics, local anesthesia and agents to control anxiety, drug (medication) knowledge and interactions, prescription writing, abuse of prescriptions by patients, taking complete medical histories, and the use of the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP);

iii. Two hours of continuing education in preventing and controlling infectious diseases and managing personnel health and safety concerns related to infection control in dental settings. Examples of such education include: modes of disease transmission and the chain of infection; strategies that can prevent occupational exposures to blood and bodily fluids; methods to ensure that patient-care items and environmental surfaces are safe for use; selection and use of safe dental devices and dental water quality assurance and practice monitoring; and evaluation of dental infection control programs;

iv. One hour of continuing education in professional ethics and New Jersey law concerning the practice of dentistry. Examples of such education include: dental ethics, professionalism, New Jersey jurisprudence, ethical issues concerning the abuse of prescriptions by patients, child abuse, competence and judgment, and patient confidentiality. The online New Jersey Jurisprudence orientation shall not satisfy this continuing education requirement; and

v. Pursuant to P.L. 2017, c. 28, one hour of continuing education in educational programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including responsible prescribing practices, alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion. This one credit shall not be eligible for carry-over as described at (k) below.

2. In accordance with P.L. 2017, c. 28, if the Board deems it appropriate, on an individual basis, the Board may waive the specific one credit continuing education requirement concerning prescription opioid drugs. Any such waiver request shall be filed pursuant to (m) below.

3. Notwithstanding the exemption from the completion of continuing education credits as set forth at (a)2 above, the applicant, once licensed by the Board, shall complete, within 24 months of becoming licensed, one credit in educational programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including responsible prescribing practices, alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion.

4. The Board shall not accept the following topics for continuing education credit:

i. Estate planning;

ii. Financial or investment/tax planning; or

iii. Personal health.

(f) If a continuing education sponsor desires prior approval for a course of acceptable subject matter and seeks to be assigned a designated number of continuing education credits by the Board, the program sponsor shall provide, in writing and on a form provided by the Board, the curriculum vitae of all instructors and/or discussion leaders, the outline of the course, the course objectives and information to document that the course meets the following requirements:

1. The course is offered in a subject matter and in a format permissible pursuant to the provisions of this section;

2. The course is conducted by a qualified instructor or discussion leader; and 3. The course is at least one hour in length.

(g) Applications for pre-approval of continuing education programs shall be submitted by the program sponsor on the form provided by the Board at least 45 days prior to the date the continuing education program is to be offered. Incomplete applications shall be returned to the sponsor and may result in an inability to grant approval prior to commencement of the program. Although an inability to obtain prior approval may not preclude acceptance of the program, there is no assurance that the Board will grant approval retroactively.

(h) Continuing education course approval granted pursuant to this section shall be valid for two years from the date of approval provided that the course subject matter, course instructor and course length remain unchanged from the initial application.

(i) A licensee may obtain continuing education credits from any of the areas of study listed below. A licensee shall not receive credit for more than the maximum number of hours permitted in each area of study for each biennial period, as set forth at (i)1 through 4 below.

1. Educational and scientific courses related to the practice of dentistry .

i. A licensee may obtain 40 hours of continuing education in this category.

ii. The following shall satisfy the requirement of 40 hours of continuing education, including the 10 mandatory hours required at (e) above, for a biennial registration period:

(1) Completion of an accredited one-year dental residency program; or

(2) Attendance at, or completion of, an approved advanced education program leading to certification in endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial pathology, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, public health, or oral and maxillofacial radiology.

iii. A maximum of five hours of continuing education credit shall be given to a student or an instructor for basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation courses and a maximum of 15 hours of continuing education credit shall be given to a student or an instructor for Advanced Cardiac Life Support courses.

iv. A maximum of 20 hours of continuing education credit shall be given for any form of written or electronic media distance learning courses. A written or electronic media distance learning course shall include a written post-test, and such test shall be retained by the licensee as an additional record of completion of the course. Webinars shall not be considered electronic media distance learning courses if they are live (not previously recorded) and synchronous (the instructor and licensee interact with each other in real time).

v. A maximum of seven hours of continuing education credit shall be given for practice management/managed care courses;

2. Papers, publications and scientific presentations:

i. A licensee may obtain a maximum of 20 hours of continuing education credit in this category.

ii. A maximum of 10 hours of continuing education credit shall be given for each original scientific paper authored by the licensee and published in a refereed journal. At the discretion of the Board, the 10 hours may be divided among co-authors based upon the length of the scientific paper and the contributions of each author.

iii. For each original presentation of a paper, essay or formal lecture to a recognized group of fellow professionals as part of a course or program eligible for Board approval for credit pursuant to this section, a licensee shall receive two hours of continuing education credit for every hour of presentation;

3. Teaching and research appointments:

i. A licensee involved in teaching or research activities at least one full day or the equivalent of one full day per week per academic year and who holds at least a part-time faculty or research appointment shall receive five hours of continuing education credit annually for each full day of teaching or research activity up to a maximum of 10 hours of credit per biennial period or two and one-half hours annually for each half day of teaching or research activity up to a maximum of five hours of credit per biennial period.

4. Table clinics and scientific exhibits:

i. A licensee may obtain a maximum of eight continuing education hours in this category.

ii. A licensee may obtain up to one hour of continuing education for each two hours of original presentation of a table clinic or scientific exhibit at a professional meeting.

(j) Licensees who complete the required 20 hours of continuing education credit pursuant to the requirements for parenteral conscious sedation and/or general anesthesia permit holders as set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:30-8.2 and 8.3 shall be given credit for all 20 hours so completed. Licensees who complete the required 20 hours of continuing education credit pursuant to the requirements for enteral sedation permit holders as set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:30-8.4shall be given credit for all 20 hours so completed.

(k) A maximum of seven continuing education credits completed by a licensee in excess of the 40 credit hours required pursuant to (a) above may be credited to the subsequent biennial registration period.

(l) Any continuing education courses taken by a licensee at the direction or order of the Board as a remedial measure shall not be used to fulfill the continuing education requirement set forth in (a) above.

(m) The Board may, in its discretion, waive all or a portion of the requirements for continuing education on an individual basis for reasons of hardship such as illness or disability or other good cause. Any licensee seeking a waiver of continuing education requirements shall apply to the Board in writing and set forth with specificity the reasons for requesting the waiver. The licensee shall also provide the Board with such additional information as the Board may reasonably request in support of the application.

(n) Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:6-10.4, consistent with the provisions of this subsection, the Board shall waive up to one-half of the required biennial continuing dental education hours set forth at (a) above for a licensee who renders volunteer dental services to eligible persons.

1. For purposes of this subsection, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Eligible person" means:

(1) Any person under the age of 19 whose parent or guardian attests that he or she meets the eligibility requirements for, and is enrolled in, the NJ FamilyCare Program established pursuant to P.L. 2005, c. 156 (N.J.S.A. 30:4J-8et seq.);

(2) A child who is in the custody of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families; or

(3) Any person who attests that he or she meets the eligibility requirements for, and is enrolled in, the Medicaid program established pursuant to P.L. 1968, c. 413 (N.J.S.A. 30:4D-1et seq.), the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled program established pursuant to P.L. 1975, c. 194 (N.J.S.A. 30:4D-20et seq.), or the Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program established pursuant to P.L. 2001, c. 96 (N.J.S.A. 30:4D-43et seq.).

"Volunteer dental service" means dental care provided, without charge, to an eligible person, or to a minor in a primary school, secondary school, or other school setting, or to a patient through a dental clinic as defined by section 1 of P.L. 1951, c. 199 (N.J.S.A. 45:6-15.1), consistent with the requirements of this subsection.

2. One half-hour of one continuing dental education credit hour shall be waived for each hour of volunteer dental service.

3. The 10 mandatory continuing education hours set forth at (e) above shall not be eligible for waiver.

4. As part of biennial renewal, a licensee shall submit to the Board, on a form supplied by the Board and available on the Board's website at http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/den , documentation evidencing the total number of credits that are eligible for the waiver in accordance with this subsection.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:30-5.1

Amended by R.2005 d.304, effective 9/6/2005.
See: 36 N.J.R. 3629(a), 37 N.J.R. 3432(a).
Added the last sentence in (i).
Amended by R.2005 d.309, effective 9/19/2005 (operative date of November 1, 2005).
See: 37 N.J.R. 1149(a), 37 N.J.R. 3709(a).
Rewrote (a), (c) and (f), added (h); recodified former (h)-( l) as (i)-(m); rewrote (i).
Amended by R.2011 d.041, effective 2/7/2011.
See: 42 N.J.R. 2217(a), 43 N.J.R. 310(a).
In (i)2iii, inserted "as part of a course or program eligible for Board approval for credit pursuant to this section"; rewrote (i)3i; and deleted (i)3ii.

Amended by 53 N.J.R. 619(c), effective 4/19/2021