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Qualified California small businesses and nonprofit organizations that incurred costs for providing COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave between Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2022, can apply now for up to $50,000 through the state's relief grant program. 

The June collection of the Journal of the California Dental Association provides insights into the latest advancements in AI technology and their potential impact on dentistry and dental professionals, while also inspiring new ideas and innovations in the field. 

Important new and ongoing services for Medi-Cal Dental patients include language translation and free transportation to and from their appointments. Learn about all the services available, as well as assistance and training to help dentists establish and provide care for Medi-Cal Dental patients. 

Each month, CDA highlights a student from one of California’s seven dental schools. Get to know Chioma Aniwigbo of Western University’s Class of 2023.

The recording of conversations between dentists and patients can pose significant risks to dental professionals, including potential HIPAA violations, loss of control over the use of the recording and legal issues related to consent. Dentists should take steps to protect patient privacy.

In a live virtual meeting on May 10, members learned about CDA’s litigation against Delta Dental of California and key legislation to improve dental plan transparency and coverage. The presenters also highlighted tools and resources available to CDA members to help ease dental plan frustrations and challenges. 

A new safety needle is on the market and is now the fifth safety needle, or safety sharp, available to California dentists. Dental practices that do not use safety sharps should evaluate the NopoGuard as part of the Cal/OSHA-required documentation.

Local dental societies and dentists have successfully launched dental assistant training programs to provide effective, accelerated training to the labor force in their areas. Some of these utilize CDA’s Dental Assistant Training curriculum. Learn more about these local programs and CDA’s upcoming Smile Crew CA Dental Assistant Training Bootcamp. 

CDA encourages dentists to review continuing education requirements as the dental board resumes conducting C.E. audits. Common C.E. deficiencies include failure to complete a mandatory C.E. course, the minimum required units for license renewal or a course from an approved provider.