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Student Members

Welcome to your community. For more than 150 years, CDA has supported and empowered the best and brightest in dentistry. As the largest state association in the ADA with more than 27,000 members, CDA’s continuous growth and innovation has fostered a dynamic community that works together to shape the future of dentistry.

As a California dental student, you are now a part of this community — with full access to membership benefits. When you join CDA, you also become a member of your local dental society. Through membership, discover unique resources for each stage of your new profession, starting with support during school and transition into practice life.

Explore Your Benefits

Get Involved

Three Ways to Get Involved and Stay Connected

Your Local Dental Society

Network, get involved in events and benefit from meaningful support – near you and throughout the state as you travel and transition into practice. 

Visit the website of the local society associated with your dental school:

Or discover more benefits at the local level:

Your Student Representatives

CDA’s student delegation ensures your voice is heard in organized dentistry. The representative for your California dental school class acts as your liaison to CDA and connects you to helpful resources, key issues and special events.

Interested in leadership opportunities or other ways to get involved? Contact your elected representative.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a graduating senior, you can update your membership information or complete the membership application online. After licensure, you will become a member of the ADA, CDA and the local dental society closest to your school. When you establish a permanent address, contact your local dental society or update your profile online.

Absolutely. Once you return to California and start practicing, you can update your membership with your new information.

Yes. Contact CDA directly to transition to postgraduate membership.

You will remain a part of the dental society local to your school until you graduate. Then your local dental society will be determined by your primary practice address. If you do not have a practice address, the transfer will be determined by your home address.

Find your local dental society:

Students attending the Universidad De La Salle in Mexico can apply by creating an account on cda.org.

CDA News

July 30, 2024
Dentists can use CDA’s new Practice Health Check to prepare for future practice transitions

Preparation and planning for future transitions is the focus of CDA’s third-quarter Practice Health Check.

Alternative Pathways in Dentistry Two question marks appear above three doors suggesting different types of dental careers At bottom: Journal California Dental Association
May 8, 2024
Alternative pathways in dentistry: CDA Journal discusses careers outside of traditional private practice

“Private practices have been effectively taking care of the oral health needs of a large portion of the population,” writes...

Student Spotlight Sandy Priyawat.
April 8, 2024
Herman Ostrow student hoping to pave the way for Thai dental students

Each month, CDA spotlights a student from one of California’s seven dental schools. Herman Ostrow’s Sandy Priyawat shares how she’s hoping to pave the way for more Thai students to…