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Each month, CDA spotlights a student from one of California’s seven dental schools. Get to know Leopold Samba of UCSF School of Dentistry’s class of 2026.

As the competition for talent escalates, the need for practice owners to show that they value their current employees has become more important than ever. Stay up to date on upcoming employee appreciation weeks.

Dentists and dental professionals should watch for the updated oral health assessment form and be ready to complete section 2. State law requires every child in public school in California to have this assessment completed by May 31 of their first year in school.

Two CDA-sponsored bills introduced this month, including one authored by Assemblymember Jim Wood, DDS, continue CDA’s legislative efforts to hold dental insurance plans accountable and move toward more meaningful dental coverage.

New training specifically for California dentists focuses on COVID-19 vaccine administration, patient preparation and documentation and satisfies the 1 unit of C.E. dentists must complete to administer the COVID-19 vaccines.

Legislation introduced this month tackles California’s dental assistant workforce shortage on two fronts – both by updating scope of practice and creating new pathways to licensure, including by shortening the current required on-the-job training.

As the Dental Board of California continues to navigate its first full renewal cycle for the newly established anesthesia and sedation permits, two new implementation issues have been identified for the moderate sedation permit and have prompted CDA advocacy.

CDA will host two in-person gatherings in San Diego and Ontario in late March that are especially geared toward early-career dentists who want to define or refine their career goals, but dentists in any stage of practice with an eye on the future are invited to attend. 
 

Space sharing — that is, sharing space or renting an operatory in an established dental office — may be a viable option for dentists in various stages of their career if the terms are carefully considered by both parties and all proper steps are taken.