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With an increasing demand for dental assistants throughout California, CDA is encouraging member dentists to consider transferable skills while recruiting and hiring. Smile Crew CA aims to create a pool of qualified candidates by targeting job seekers who have been displaced from service roles with adaptable skills that would make them a viable dental assistant.  

The California Dental Association has launched a new recruitment campaign, Smile Crew of California, designed to highlight the careers in dental assisting and create a pool of qualified candidates to help CDA members who are seeking to fill hundreds of dental assistant job openings. 

In a strategic effort to aid members in growing their careers and building their practice teams, CDA has launched a robust online career center for both employers and job seekers. While job listings have long been among the most popular sections of CDA’s website, the new platform provides more intuitive search tools along with actionable guidance.

The California Dental Association in August received recognition from the American Dental Association in three membership categories, including “most improved active member retention rate” among state associations with more than 7,500 active licensed dentists.

Graduation celebrations are looking a lot different this year as many schools continue to prioritize the health and safety of students, faculty and attendees’ families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many other universities that have postponed in-person ceremonies to promote social distancing, the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry honored its graduating class in a virtual awards ceremony.

The Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine hosted its first digital commencement ceremony to honor the class of 2020. 

Andrew Soderstrom, DDS, CDA past president and a co-founder of CDA Cares, the CDA Foundation’s volunteer dental clinic, died Wednesday, April 29, following complications after a fall at his home in Modesto, California. He was 65.

“I see CDA now and into the future as being limitless in what we can produce and do for our members.” While reflecting on CDA’s momentous milestone of 150 years in organized dentistry, Richard Nagy, DDS, president of the California Dental Association, looks ahead — optimistic about what’s next for the organization and its 27,000 members.

The March issue of the Journal of the California Dental Association commemorates CDA’s 150th year with articles on the history of the organization and the roles medicine, technology, dental education and societal needs play in shaping the future of dentistry and oral health. The issue also features articles on the future of organized dentistry.