PACE PROGRAM FAQs

Organizations that offer or plan to offer a program of continuing dental education can apply at any time. All applicants must demonstrate oversight by an independent dentist adviser and adherence to the standards and criteria published in the PACE Program Guidelines.

Any organization that offers a planned program of continuing dental education activities to dental professionals can apply for PACE Approval. Review eligibility criteria in the PACE Program Guidelines.  Organizations located outside the U.S. or Canada must meet additional requirements.

No. The PACE Program is a mechanism that evaluates the educational processes organizations use when designing, planning and implementing continuing education. The AGD does not have a program to evaluate, approve, certify or accredit specific course content, curriculums, instructors or speakers.

If your organization only offers in-person courses within one state or province, primarily to dental professionals from that state or province, then you can apply for local approval. All other organizations must apply for national approval. Organizations which offer any type of online courses are not eligible for local approval. AGD recommends that local providers contact the designated local representatives regarding any review fees or state-specific requirements before submitting the application to the local office.

No. PACE and American Dental Association (ADA) Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP) are similar programs recognized equally by regulatory boards. 

Nearly all U.S. dental licensing boards accept credit earned through PACE-approved organizations for re-licensure, but because regulations can change at any time, we recommend that providers or course participants check with their specific licensing boards. 

Organizations with current approval will receive an email with renewal information at least six months prior to expiration (national providers also receive a notification 11 months prior to expiration). This information will include a link to the current application. Providers should reapply at least 90 days or more before the approval period expires. This time frame allows time to process and address any concerns. Current PACE-approved providers are listed on the AGD website, but it is recommended that providers save their approval confirmation letter, which includes the current term of approval and six-digit ID number, as well as any new information regarding the PACE program.

Organizations that do not have past PACE Approval are not eligible for retroactive approval. Organizations whose approval has lapsed may request retroactive approval, but the request must be made within one year of the day the past approval term ended and no more than one of retroactive approval can be granted. 

Your ID number is a six-digit code that is assigned to you when your organization applied for PACE approval. Letters of approval or denial include your PACE Provider ID number. Approved providers can also find their ID number, contact information and term of approval on the PACE website.

No, PACE approval is not an accreditation. Both approval and accreditation programs are rigorous processes designed to ensure approved or accredited organizations meet established quality standards. Accreditation programs usually require on-site visits and detailed assessments documenting outcomes of training. Approval programs rely primarily on documentation review. 

No. The PACE Program approves organizations, not individuals, so if your organization has a simple name or contact information change, email written notification to pace@agd.org. The email should originate from the email address the organization identified as their main contact.

No, if your organization has current national PACE approval, you can issue CE to participants who complete your online program, as long as the program continues to meet published PACE standards. You must notify the AGD about the change to your program (see the PACE Guidelines, Policy Statement on Reporting Substantive Changes). To ensure that your program meets the PACE standards, review Standard XIII, Self-Instruction and Electronically Mediated Programs,. IMPORTANT: If your organization currently has local approval, you will need to apply for national approval. Email pace@agd.org for more information.

Yes. The AGD approves organizations, not specific courses. Any CE credit you award to course participants during an approval term will be accepted because they are coming from an approved provider. Organizations with local approval should limit attendees to their specific state or province, as other licensing boards may not accept CE issued by a locally approved provider. 

No. Approved organizations do not have permission to use the AGD logo at any time. Approved organizations receive permission to use the PACE logo on their marketing materials and attendance verification forms during an approval term. Organizations must strictly adhere to the Guidelines for Graphic Standards and Reproduction of the Logo for the Academy of General Dentistry PACE Program when using the PACE Logo. 

CE credit is based on the educational delivery method of the course completed and the number of contact hours a participant spends taking part in the program. Reference PACE Standard XI Course Records, criterion B for specific information on how to calculate CE hours. 

AGD maintains comprehensive CE transcripts for AGD members to track hours toward AGD awards and to verify course attendance for re-licensure. PACE-approved providers are required to submit course rosters online within 30 days of course completion to update member transcripts. There are three ways provider can submit rosters to the AGD: Online Roster, CSV Upload or API submissions. For help in submitting rosters online, please review the Online Roster Submission Guide or the CSV Roster Submission Guide for Continuing Dental Education Providers. For information about submitting rosters using an API process, contact AGD at pace@agd.org. 

Email pace@agd.org with all the information to be changed, along with a contact phone number. We will email confirmation that the change has been made. Only PACE staff are authorized to make changes.

A list of AGD subject codes is available on the AGD website. Planning committees should work with course instructors to assign the codes that best represent the topics taught. If multiple subjects are addressed within a single course, providers and/or instructors should indicate how much time is spent on each one so the time can be accurately recorded on participant records. Subject codes are used by the AGD to track AGD members’ progress towards earning the prestigious AGD Fellowship and Mastership Awards.

Yes. It is the responsibility of approved organizations to assign the AGD Subject Codes that best describe course topics. Occasionally, more than one AGD subject may be appropriate. If you receive requests to reassign hours after the program is completed, review the content and the AGD subject code list. If the request is reasonable and accurately represents the content; then you can approve the request. Approval or denial of a request should be sent to the AGD member. It is the member’s responsibility to forward your response to the AGD.

Providers can search for an attendee’s AGD ID number when they submit a roster online. The final field on the roster submission form accepts a list of attendee ID numbers. To the left of this field is a link that says “Search Members.” Click on this link, and you can enter the attendee’s last name, which will bring up a list. Search the list and click on the name you want to add to your roster. The ID number will automatically be added to your list of attendees. The AGD recommends that you ask attendees for their AGD ID when they register for a program, so you do not have to search for it. If someone is not AGD member, you should not include their name on the AGD roster, however you must maintain complete rosters in your records for a minimum of seven years. 

The definition of a protocol course is published in the PACE Lexicon of Terms in the PACE Guidelines. The AGD defines protocol courses as courses which assign homework involving clinical activities and award CDE credit for these clinical activities successfully completed outside of the classroom. Participants must present assignment results to the course instructor or course director before CDE is awarded.

A product training course is a course that teaches the safe and proper use of a specific product. Organizations offering training for specific products must ensure that course content only discusses the proper use of a product to ensure patient safety. CE cannot be awarded for discussions related to sales, procurement, or topics intended to promote the product. 

AGD members must earn 75 hours of CE every three years to maintain their membership. CE activities conducted by any organization, institution or individual are accepted for AGD membership maintenance credit. Only hours earned from PACE- or CERP-approved organizations can be applied to the prestigious AGD Fellowship and Mastership Award requirements. 

Yes. At the end of each program, providers should supply each instructor with a letter verifying the number of hours they taught. This letter can be similar to the attendance verification form that providers supply to all course participants. The teaching method must be listed as “teaching,” instead of “lecture” or “participation.” If the instructor is an AGD member, providers should indicate whether this is the first time that the instructor has offered the program. Instructors should check with their local licensing board to determine whether the hours will be accepted for re-licensure credit.

Yes. Any person who completes a program must receive verification of attendance confirming the number of hours they completed in the course. It is the responsibility of all participants to maintain verification in their files. Providers must also maintain a historical file of all attendees for a minimum of seven years.

Like traditional classroom courses, you must verify that participants are present for the entire program. The AGD recommends use random mandatory polls, direct questions and other methods to ensure participants present and engaged throughout the program. 

Scientifically sound information should have peer-reviewed content supported by generally accepted scientific principles or methods that can be substantiated or supported with relevant peer-reviewed scientific literature, or documentation proving that the CE subject material is currently part of the curriculum of an accredited U.S. or Canadian dental education program and, whenever possible, employs components of evidence-based dentistry.

All individuals associated with an approved organization, including employees, committee members and instructors should disclose potential conflicts of interest at least annually. Any relationship in which an individual potentially benefits by receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honorarium, ownership interest, contracted research or other financial benefits should be disclosed. Potential conflicts of interest do not prevent individuals from participating in the development or implementation of a program, but potential conflicts must be disclosed to participants prior to registration or as soon as they become known. 

PACE Standards do not specify the length of time you need to maintain course evaluations. Quality organizations usually save evaluations or compile the results in a report for review at their next planning committee meeting. Each organization should decide how long they wish to maintain this information. Examples of completed course evaluations must be attached in renewal applications so providers should plan accordingly to have recent examples on file when completing the PACE application.

Needs assessment activities, including surveys, are conducted during the earliest stages of program development. The results of needs assessment activities should help identify course learning objectives and course content  and provide direction on the types of courses are prospective attendees are most interested in. Course evaluations are conducted after a program is complete and is intended to gather feedback from attendees regarding their overall satisfaction with your program. Information from course evaluations can identify areas of your program that need improvement.