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Dental assistant training programs are successfully placing graduates in California dental practices. One recent graduate, Liz Martinez, changed her career as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now employed by a dental practice in San Francisco.

Each month, CDA spotlights a student from one of California’s seven dental schools. Get to know Purvi Desai of Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry class of 2023. 

The CDPH now recommends that vaccinated workers in high-risk settings be tested for COVID-19 immediately following a “close-contact” exposure and again three to five days after the exposure. The final version of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 ETS will take effect May 7 and end Dec. 31, 2022.

The weight of student loan debt can make a career in public or community health nearly impossible for new dentists. The CDA Foundation’s Student Loan Repayment Grant program aims to encourage recipients to care for the underserved. Applications are now being accepted until August 7, 2022.

Dental staffing shortages may make it tempting to offer a position to the first person who turns in an application, but a measured approach to hiring is recommended. Time and planning invested in your practice’s hiring process will save you money, maintain consistency and reduce risks of bad hires.

The May 2022 issue of the Journal of the CDA Journal features a toolkit with simple visuals and messages dental providers can use to talk with patients about reducing and eliminating sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
 

Along with the benefit of compliance with state regulations to prevent controlled-substance abuse, ePrescribing can improve clinical care and efficiency.

May 23 update: Gov. Newsom signed legislation enacting the agreement that revises the state’s MICRA law following approval by the state Legislature on bipartisan and nearly unanimous votes. The legislation takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.