The 2025 ODA House of Delegates will be held on October 11th and will be 100% virtual. We encourage all members to be engaged and represent their local component society as a delegate! This year we will be discussing the following resolutions:

• BOT 1-25: Dues Discounts—New Graduates
• BOT 2-25: HOD Conversion to Annual Meeting
• BOT 3-25: Cost of Living—Dues Increase

Currently 30 members are registered to serve as delegates; we need 40 more members for quorum. Please register here and support your association.

Pack your bags for the coast; Camp ODA is coming November 7-8 to Salishan Coastal Lodge! Earn up to 11 hours of CE, enjoy family-friendly social events such as Trivia Night and the Campfire Social, and connect with local industry suppliers in a beautiful coastal setting. ODA members receive an amazing deal of $250 (including all meals!) if you book before October 7th. Click here to register.  

More information, including the agenda, how to book your hotel accommodations, and lecture descriptions and learning objectives, can be found on the ODA website here.

Are you ready to continue your journey in continued excellence and leadership growth? This program provides a unique backstage pass to ODA offerings and experiences while developing and enhancing leadership and interpersonal skills. Customized to each participant, depending upon area(s) of interest, the Academy guarantees a deeper understanding and growth where it matters most! Nominate yourself or a colleague to join our 2026 class by December 1, 2025! Find out more information here.

Do you know someone who should be considered for the 2025 Tom Tucker Humanitarian Award? Please send all nominations to leadership@oregondental.org before December 1st. We can’t wait to celebrate this year's recipient at the 2025 Oregon Dental Conference. Find out more information, including award criteria, and see past winners on the ODA website here.

Are you someone who enjoys interacting with peers, loves to come up with innovative and fun ideas, and understands the need for organized dentistry? Then this volunteer role is perfect for you! The ODA Membership Council is looking for New Member Outreach Volunteers from each local component to help welcome new members, assist with event coordination, and coordinate new member communication and resources. If you’re ready to step in and make a difference in your local component, please contact Heather Langdon at hlangdon@oregondental.org.

Are you passionate about mental health and supporting others? Wellness Ambassadors are vital in offering a compassionate ear and guiding colleagues through life’s challenges—whether it’s stress, mental health, financial struggles, or more. If you're ready to be a source of support and hope, complete the Wellness Ambassador interest form today and be part of a movement that truly matters. Email Heather at hlangdon@oregondental.org and complete the Wellness Ambassador interest form.

Dr. Amberena Fairlee will join other devoted ADA members and state and local society staff leaders committed to supporting the dental workforce and working collaboratively to address challenges. You can read more about this exciting new ADA program at ADA seeks ambassadors to help address workforce shortages | American Dental Association. Thank you, Dr. Fairlee, for representing Oregon!

Beginning in July, CMS approved the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to implement three dental directed payments (DDPs) for coordinated care organizations (CCOs) for the Contract Year 2025. CCOs will use the payments to give incentives to dental providers in their network. The incentives are meant to increase preventive dental care provided to CCO members to pre-pandemic levels, maintain and expand the CCO dental workforce, and support community efforts to engage local dental providers and help members access dental care. To learn more about Dental Directed Payment Guidance, click here.

New workforce resources have been added as a webpage to the ODA website. The intention is to create a place for members to access workforce resources and information. This is just the start; please provide feedback to ODA’s Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs Brett Hamilton at bhamilton@oregondental.org.

We’ve received recent reports of a phone scam that has been targeting dentists in our community. Scammers are impersonating representatives from the Oregon Board of Dentistry, attempting to collect personal and financial information under false pretenses. Please be aware that the Oregon Board of Dentistry will never request sensitive information over the phone. If you receive such a call, we urge you not to provide any personal or financial details and hang up immediately. We encourage you to remain vigilant and share this information with your colleagues to help prevent any potential scams. Find more information on the Board of Dentistry website.

The 2025 Oregon Legislative Session was punctuated by some of the most significant budget woes the state has seen in nearly two decades, last-minute pushes for significant policy packages, and ongoing federal uncertainty. Even with this incredibly challenging landscape, the ODA’s advocacy team in Salem worked tirelessly on behalf of our members to both proactively advocate for dental legislation and to fight back against harmful bills that had the potential to significantly impact our members and their patients. Read a full report here.

The ADA is collecting patient and provider stories to help advocate for protecting oral health in Medicaid programs. As we continue to advocate for dental services in state programs for low-income families and adults, personal experiences will demonstrate what dentists and dental professionals are doing to improve oral health. Some things we want to know:

• What impact has their dental care had on their lives? Any specific patients come to mind that would not have been able to get by without Medicaid dental coverage?
• Do you treat adults, and does your state have an adult dental benefit?
• What would happen if your state cut adult dental benefits due to loss of funding from the federal government?

Share your story with the ADA here to help advocacy efforts.

While the ODA team is busy in Salem and Washington, D.C., 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!

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.

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, language 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.

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. 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/.

Put yourself at the center of dentistry with ADA Continuing Education’s online courses. These on-demand, science-backed CE courses deliver the latest knowledge and practical applications, empowering you not only to improve patient care but also to help shape the future of the profession itself. ADA CE brings you a new course every week, satisfying your need to keep learning and growing as a clinician. View the ADA CE library.

SmileCon® 2025 is bringing the whole dental team together in Washington, D.C., Oct. 23-25! With curated CE for dentists, hygienists, office staff, and more, there’s something for everyone. Explore future-ready dentistry, discover new innovations in Dental Central, and connect at fun team events. This isn’t just another meeting; it’s a celebration of every role in dentistry. Register today at SmileCon.org and bring your whole crew!

Mark your calendars for next year's conference, April 9-11, 2026! Meanwhile, 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!

The ADA is seeking volunteers for its workforce ambassador program to help address workforce shortages. Launched by the ADA Council on Dental Practice, the program seeks to increase the sharing of information and best practices among member dentists and state and local dental society leaders. The council is specifically seeking volunteers from states that are not already represented in the program.
 
Letters of interest are due by August 21st to dentalpractice@ada.org.

A $20M budget reduction is helping the ADA realign resources for long-term sustainability. While changes are underway, the ADA remains committed to members and the profession. In a message to members, ADA leaders Dr. Brett Kessler and Dr. Richard Rosato gave an overview of significant changes made to reduce expenses. Amid these cost-saving measures, the ADA remains committed to members and the profession. This is a necessary step toward a long-term balanced budget.

Check out this week's #ADAICYMI social posts and share with your communities on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

The ADA is making it easier than ever to access and adopt its informatics standards. The ADA creates and advances dental informatics standards nationally and internationally, collaborating with partners to ensure they evolve alongside clinical practices and technologies. The ADA’s dental standards webpage now links to a new page on informatics standards, where visitors can find the standards divided into 10 categories. Each category page lists the standard’s title, scope, and link to the ADA Store. Members can access technical reports for free and purchase standards at a discounted rate. 

Researchers at ADA Forsyth are investigating how wearing clear aligners changes the bacterial environment in the mouth. Because aligners cover the teeth for most of the day, they limit the natural flow of saliva, which usually helps clean the mouth and control bacteria. By learning more about these bacterial changes, scientists hope to better understand how the mouth’s microbiome responds to aligner use—and how that might affect oral health. Read more here.

Younger age groups of dentists have higher percentages of members who are distressed or struggling when compared with older groups, according to the 2024-2025 State of Well-Being Report. The report is compiled each year based on results from the Well-Being Index, an anonymous, validated self-assessment tool developed by Mayo Clinic that measures multiple dimensions of clinician distress and well-being, including burnout, fatigue, and quality of life.