Dentalcare.com

What Dentalcare.com is

Dentalcare.com is Procter & Gamble's website for dental professionals, and its continuing education section is a free library of online CE courses under the Crest + Oral-B name. It is a learner product: a dentist, dental hygienist or dental student registers, picks a course, works through it, takes the test and earns the stated credit hours. The home page headline is "150+ FREE CE Courses", and the CE page marks an anniversary with "30 Years. 30 Top Courses. One Incredible Milestone!" It says that "For three decades, Dentalcare.com has delivered trusted, science-based CE to help you grow your skills and transform patient outcomes," and it puts the 30 most-completed courses of the past year at the top of the page.

The same site also carries professional resources, material for patients, product research and a shop for Crest and Oral-B products, but the CE library is what a learner comes for. The courses cost nothing; what the site asks for is an account. The community box at the foot of every page reads "Login or Register to receive relevant, timely communication, take CE courses and more."

Finding a course

The CE page opens with a search box and a set of filters: Top 30 Courses, Topic, Credit Hours, Type, AGD Code, Faculty Module and Author. A hygienist short of a few hours before renewal can filter by credit hours, and a learner who follows one author can filter by name. Beside the search sits a second box for an assignment number. The page explains: "This number should have been provided to you by the individual that assigned this course to you. Please enter the number in the box below to be directed to your course and have your scores submitted." So the library works both for someone choosing courses on their own and for a class or team working through courses an instructor has set.

What a course looks like

Every course has a number, a credit hour value, named authors with their credentials, and dates. The three featured on the home page show the range.

HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES & TOES: An Evaluation of the Periodontal-Systemic Link (course 1023, 1.5 credit hours) is taught by Katrina M. Sanders, RDH, BSDH, M.Ed, RF. The description says that "oral health and general health are not to be interpreted as separate entities," and that little has changed in oral inflammation management protocols "over the last 70 years." The course takes a head-to-toe look at bacterial invasion, systemic inflammation and periodontal disease in systemic health. Its listed expiration date is Oct 13, 2027.

Periodontal Screening and Recording: Its Use When Detecting Periodontal Disease (course 617, 1 credit hour) is by Tanya Villalpando Mitchell, RDH, MS. It went online on Jun 4, 2020, was last revised on Aug 11, 2026, and expires on Aug 10, 2029. After it, the page says, a participant can explain the benefits of the PSR system, use it in a clinical setting, interpret a patient's PSR score, identify who needs a more comprehensive periodontal exam and discuss PSR with patients.

Re-examining the Plaque-Gingivitis Connection and the Role of Stannous Fluoride (course 579, 2 credit hours) is by Sherri M. Lukes, RDH, MS, FAADH, and Shelly L. Campbell, RDH, MPH. It went online on Mar 1, 2019, was revised on Mar 15, 2024, and expires on Mar 14, 2027. Its stated purpose is to review the role of plaque in periodontal disease, the mechanism by which stannous fluoride reduces plaque-induced gingivitis, and the practical implications for dental professionals.

Inside a course, the layout is a reading course broken into sections. Caries Process, Prevention and Management: Risk Assessment (course 719) shows the pattern: a contents list down the side running from a glossary and an introduction through biological risk assessment, reviewing the patient's medical and dental history, a clinical assessment, social and related risk factors, the risk assessment protocol, a risk assessment survey, a personalized non-operative plan, additional strategies, the CAMBRA system, a conclusion and references, 14 sections in all. A "Take the Test" button sits at the top, and a "SAVE PROGRESS" button lets a learner stop and come back later. The glossary defines terms such as risk, risk assessment, risk factor and risk survey, and explains CAMBRA as Caries Management by Risk Assessment.

Assignments for students and faculty

The home page has a Student & Faculty Quick Links block that turns the library into a teaching tool. Students enter an assignment number for a course assignment or a case study assignment. Faculty can "Create assignments with a wide range of courses available" and "Review the submitted Assignments." The block also links to case studies "for students and professionals" and to interactive modules, and the CE filters include a Faculty Module option. For a hygiene or dental program, that means courses can be set, completed and checked on the site at no cost.

Credit, recognition and state approvals

Under "Our Recognition" the CE page lists two credentials: "Nationally Approved PACE Program Provider for FAGD/MAGD credit" and "Approved Provider by the American Academy of Dental Hygiene, Inc."

The state notes are specific. For licensees in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, the page says Procter & Gamble is an approved dental CE provider for each of those state boards and that proof of completion is electronically reported to CE Broker within 24 hours of program completion. For California, "The Procter & Gamble Company is a registered CE Provider for the Dental Board of California. Permit No. 3111; Expiration Date 8/31/2027." For Iowa, P&G is approved by the Iowa Dental Board as a sponsor of dental continuing education, with one limit: courses on personal development, business aspects of practice, personnel management, government regulations, insurance, collective bargaining and community service presentations do not count toward Iowa renewal.

The page also carries a clinical disclaimer: "Participants must always be aware of the hazards of using limited knowledge in integrating new techniques or procedures into their practice. Only sound evidence-based dentistry should be used in patient therapy." If something goes wrong with "a dental CE course, test, or certificate," a contact link is there to resolve it.

Around the courses

The professional resources section adds shorter material, such as a 3 minute microbreak stretch routine for neck, wrist and hand pain led by a hygienist, and FAQs on the link between oral care and whole body health. Members can also create an account on the Crest + Oral-B ProShop, which offers professional pricing on products for the office, for patients or for personal professional use. Links on the CE page lead to the site's Mission & Goals, its P&G Guidelines and a form to submit a course.

Who it suits

• Dental hygienists and dentists who want renewal credit without paying for it, especially licensees in the states named on the CE page, where completions go to CE Broker automatically.
• Dentists working toward FAGD or MAGD credit through a PACE approved provider.
• Hygiene and dental school faculty who want to assign courses and case studies and review what students submit.
• Clinicians who want focused reading on periodontal screening, the periodontal-systemic link, plaque and gingivitis, or caries risk assessment.

The courses shown are reading courses with a test rather than live teaching, and each course carries an expiration date, so the list of courses that count changes over time. Iowa licensees in particular need to skip the excluded topics. For a free library with clear credit hours, named authors and automatic CE Broker reporting in the listed states, it is an easy place to start a renewal cycle.