Welcome to our new and returning members! Please reach out to these new members and welcome them into the ODA community.

• Arielle Avant Pearson, DMD – Coastal Cascades Dentist Society
• Brandon Knapp, DDS – Coastal Cascades Dentist Society
• Nicolas Maxim, DMD – Washington County Dental Society
• Drew Pearson, DMD – Coastal Cascades Dentist Society
• Kyle Pett, DMD – Southern Oregon Dental Society
• Mitchell Westberg, DDS – Coastal Cascades Dentist Society
• Michelle Wu, DDS – Multnomah Dental Society
• Karen Zhou, DMD – Central Oregon Dental Society

Mark your calendars for next year's conference, April 9-11, 2026! In the meantime, be sure to enter your course completion codes online at https://www.prereg.net/2025/odc or the ODC mobile app to claim your 2025 ODC CE certificate. See you next year!

Please join us on May 16th at the ODA building in Wilsonville for a Leadership Workshop with Lou Radja. This program is free of charge and open to all ODA and component volunteer leaders. We will begin with lunch at noon followed by a two-hour presentation from Lou Radja. Lou was so well received at the 2023 Oregon Dental Conference that we invited him to the 2024 Regional Event, where he again received outstanding reviews. Join us for an afternoon of leadership growth! Register by May 9, here. 

Congratulations to Dr. Ramirez for being selected as one of 10 2025 ADA 10 under 10 award winners. Dr. Ramirez currently serves as an ADA Delegate on the ODA Board of Trustees and as a member of the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs. Learn more about all the award winners, here.

Hosted by the ODA and presented by Best Card

Date: May 13th at 6 p.m. on Zoom

Participants: This webinar is open to ODA members and their front office team

Explore the impact of surcharging — where patients cover the credit card processing fee instead of the dental practice. This approach, often marketed as “credit card processing for free,” has gained traction among some payment providers, but understanding the full implications is essential for making an informed decision.

Surcharging can have a strong impact on patient perceptions and financial outcomes, particularly in dental practices where higher average transaction amounts lead to more noticeable fees. This potentially pushes patients to seek care elsewhere and risking long-term revenue from patients who may otherwise stay with a practice for years. In this webinar, we’ll discuss the rules, regulations, and the pros and cons of surcharging to help you make an informed decision. Registration: https://tinyurl.com/yhvnfdhc

The newly redesigned ADA Find-a-Dentist® makes it easier for patients in your area to find you. With enhanced search features, patients can now search by address or zip code and filter results by specialty, languages spoken, insurance accepted, and travel distance.

This powerful marketing tool is included in your member benefits. Increase your visibility and stand out by keeping your profile updated. Log in to your My ADA account portal to update your profile and check the “Include in Find-a-Dentist” box to appear in search results.

Wellness Ambassadors play an essential role in offering a compassionate ear and guiding colleagues through challenges related to stress, mental health, debt, and other life obstacles. Whether through personal experience or a passion for helping others, these dedicated individuals provide invaluable peer-to-peer support. Hope For The Day will be providing training this year, so if you're interested in becoming a Wellness Ambassador and making a meaningful impact, please complete the Wellness Ambassador interest form today! 

ODA and a contingent of Oregon dentists recently participated in the ADA’s lobby day in Washington, D.C., joining more than 1,200 dentists and dental students to advocate for policies to improve oral health and access to oral health care. Our Oregon advocacy team was able to meet with many members of Oregon’s congressional delegation and talk with them about the need to prioritize oral health care. You can read about the 2025 Lobby Day issues here. 

These relationship building opportunities came at a particularly crucial time as the CDC’s Division of Oral Health was eliminated amid federal restructuring on April 1 and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called on the CDC to stop recommending fluoridation of water supplies across the country.

Your advocacy team continues advance to ODA’s priority bills were held in the Oregon legislature. Two of the three priority bills, which are dental insurance reform and increased reimbursement, continue to advance, while one of our priorities – the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact bill – failed to move forward. Find the full update, here.

The 2025 Legislative Session began on January 21st. ODA is busy implementing our Legislative Agenda, and we need your engagement. Although it might sound like a broken record, there is no substitute for the voices of those working with patients and running dental offices every day and who can advocate for patients’ rights. The ODA is building its team of dental advocates, and we need YOU to get involved in the legislative process! Remember, this is your association and you can have some control of your destiny. 

Advocacy can take many forms, depending on your comfort level, experience, and expertise. As a member of the ODA Legislative Action Team, you may be invited to write a letter to legislators, attend Dental Day at the Capitol, or write an op-ed for a local publication, among other opportunities.

Sign up HERE or email ODA’s Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs Brett Hamilton at bhamilton@oregondental.org and express your interest directly. Join ODA’s Legislative Advocacy Team!

Whether she is treating patients at La Clinica public health clinic in Medford, advocating for dental policies in Washington, D.C., serving as the editor of the Oregon Dental Association’s Membership Matters magazine, or shedding light on public health dentistry through her social media presence, Dr. Alayna Schoblaske is an ambassador for the next generation of Oregon dentists wherever she goes. https://www.oregondental.org/members-in-action/dr.-schoblaske 

Talkspace Go, a self-directed therapy app, is now available to all members and dental students as part of membership. Talkspace Go is designed to support mental well-being through personalized, science-backed courses on topics ranging from work stress to relationships through therapist-led live workshops, daily journaling and more.

To get started, members and dental students must visit ADA.org/TalkspaceGo and use their ADA login to receive an exclusive access code. Once they have the access code, they can download the Talkspace Go app to start their own well-being journeys.

It’s important for members to understand their insurance provider contracts before signing so that they can decide what is best for the members and their patients, as well as to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future. The ADA offers a free contract analysis service that provides members with a plain-language explanation of the insurance provider contract terms to allow them to make informed and independent decisions on the merits of the contract. The analysis is not a substitute for legal advice. The service also provides analysis of certain dental management service organization agreements. Members can utilize the service at no charge by submitting an unsigned contract and an analysis request through their state dental society. To learn more about the Contract Analysis Service, and for other dental insurance contract resources, go to the Support on Dental Insurance Contract Issues page on ADA's website.

The ADA also offers resources to help members navigate employment-related contracts such as an e-book on employment agreements and articles on getting the contract you deserve, compensation basics, negotiating your salary, and general negotiating tips. Further resources related to DSO contracts are also available.

If you have any questions regarding the Contract Analysis Service, please reach out to Maria Reyes at reyesm@ada.org.

Tap into a pool of top talent: Post your open positions on ODA’s Dental Career Center Connect and gain access to a vast pool of talented dental professionals actively seeking new opportunities. Our platform is the go-to destination for the brightest minds in dentistry. Looking for a change in your career? Discover a world of possibilities with our extensive job listings catering to every aspect of the dental field. Whether you’re a seasoned dentist, a passionate dental hygienist, or an aspiring dental assistant, find your perfect match with just a click. Visit the career center at https://careers.oregondental.org/.

Catch up on the latest ADA webinars and on-demand video learning opportunities on your own schedule. From managing your practice to caring for your staff or your own mental health, new events are added regularly. See all digital events here. Many CE opportunities are free of charge.

Save the date! The 2025 ODA Regional Event is November 7th & 8th, and this year we are heading to Salishan in Lincoln City. Join us for family-friendly social activities, five hours of continuing education from leading experts, and relationship strengthening with industry suppliers. Registration opens this summer. Be sure to check www.oregondental.org for all updates.

Washington, D.C., a city with stories of the past, meets SmileCon, a vision of the future of dentistry! Join us in our Nation’s Capital Oct. 23–25 and learn how to prepare your practice for what’s ahead. Keep an eye on SmileCon.org for further details, registration opens June 11. We can’t wait to D.C. you there!

The ADA Foundation is thrilled to announce the Give Veterans A Smile fundraising campaign, featuring a dollar-for-dollar match of your donation. The GVAS program was launched in 2024 and encourages dentists to provide pro bono oral health care to underserved Veterans and to assist them in finding a dental home. Thanks to Henry Schein’s generous matching gift, donations up to $10,000, will go twice as far. This means we can make twice the impact, help twice the Veterans, and create twice the smiles. Click here to make your donation and help a veteran in need.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s entire Division of Oral Health was gutted April 1, amid the Trump administration’s efforts to majorly restructure federal health agencies. The American Dental Association urges the HHS Secretary and the President to immediately reverse these cuts and restore critical public health. 
 
Oral health must remain a national priority — valued, supported and promoted across all levels of the Administration. Read the ADA’s full statement.  

Also, check out and share the social media posts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  

The 2025 ADA 10 Under 10 Award winners have been selected and were announced at Elevate last weekend! Join us in celebrating these rising stars who are making a lasting impact on the profession and in their communities. Check out this year’s winners. 

Dental assistants now have a pathway to become oral preventive assistants in Arizona after Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1124 into law. Oral preventive assistants, who are also referred to as scaling assistants, are expanded function dental assistants who provide preventive dental care services to patients under direct supervision of a dentist or dental hygienist.  

The ADA is signing onto a coalition letter supporting legislation that would allow certain full-time dental faculty members to exclude the amount of their loan forgiveness from federal income taxes. Learn more about the Dental Loan Repayment Assistance Act.  

Lakeland, Florida, officials have decided to cease adding fluoride to its public drinking water following a vote by the city’s commission. Prior to the vote, proponents of community water fluoridation, including dental and medical professionals, urged the commissioners to keep the city’s water fluoridation practices to prevent cavities in children. Read more about this decision here. 

Utah will become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite widespread opposition from dentists and national health organizations. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said he would sign legislation that bars cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water systems. Read more here.