January 2025 

Dear CDAA Members,

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! This is always a hopeful time, as we celebrate the end of one year and are ready to begin another. Change seems to be inevitable at the beginning of the new year. People are likely to make New Year’s Resolutions, start a new job, or even finally get the courage to do something they have never done before. In that spirit, the California Dental Assistants Association has embarked on a new chapter in the life of our organization. On Dec 21, 2024, at our CDAA members meeting, a vote was taken and a decision was made to separate from the American Dental Assistants Association. This will become effective on January 15, 2025. CDAA will still be maintaining an organization that is member-focused and will not be formally connected with any other associations. We do hope you will continue your membership in the CDAA as we embrace this wonderful change and look into the future for all dental assistants in California. Watch for communication in January for the new instructions on how to sign up!

Here is a list of some of our member benefits CDAA will be offering:

• Career protection through legislative representation at the Dental Board
• Discounts on Home study courses
• Required CE courses offered annually
• Discounts on live virtual CE
• Discounts on Conference registration
• Networking and support from colleagues
• Local group meetings
• Newsletters/journals
• Increased professionalism
• Access to Professional liability insurance
• Leadership opportunities/personal growth
• Community service opportunities
• Job search (coming in the near future)

 It is our hope that you will all join us next month when we launch the new CDAA! Please spread the word and share the changes that are coming with your colleagues and coworkers, especially those who didn’t renew their membership with the ADAA. We hope you will encourage everyone you know to join the CDAA! We are always looking for new faces to join us as we rebuild our organization at either the local or state level!  We will have a special offer for those of you who have already renewed your membership for 2025. Go to our website www.cdaaweb.org for membership applications.

At the state level, the Dental Board of California has also made some changes. There are new requirements from SB 1453 that will become affective January 1, 2025. A few include new requirements for the unlicensed dental assistant including infection control courses, coronal polishing courses, and the elimination of the work experience to enroll in the orthodontic assistant course. See the government relations report for more info. For all the updates and details regarding the new changes, please go to www.dbc.ca.gov or contact the Board’s license and Program Compliance Unit at: LPCU.DBC@dca.ca.gov.

CDAA wishes everyone a Happy New Year and looking forward to seeing you all at the CDAA/ CADAT Annual Conference on April 25-26 at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA. Please go to our website: www.cdaaweb.org to register. See you there!

With gratitude, 

Christine Burton Macalino RDA, CDA. BA, FADAA
President

“To advance the careers of dental assistants and to promote the dental assisting profession in matters of education, legislation, credentialing and professional activities which enhance the delivery of quality dental health care to the public.”