News

General Dentistry | Seattle | Owner – Private Practice | University of Washington School of Dentistry

General Dentistry | Anacortes | Associate/Employee – Group Practice | Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine

Periodontics | Olympia | Retired | University of Maryland School of Dentistry

Effective July 23, hygienists seeking an initial limited license in Washington state will no longer be required to be currently engaged in active practice in order to apply. Additionally, the name of the initial and renewed limited license for hygienists is changed to an initial and renewed temporary license, and the expiration of the license is extended from 18 months to five years.

Do you know a member dentist doing incredible charitable work in their community? Nominate them for WSDA Citizen of the Year by June 30!

Apply by June 23 to run for WSDA and ADA leadership positions up for election at the 2023 WSDA House of Delegates.

The LTSS Trust Program is on track for implementation on July 1, 2023 and will be funded by a .58 percent premium assessment on employee wages. Learn more about how this program will affect employers, employees, and self-employed individuals.

Meet up for food, drinks and networking during PNDC 2023 at the Mentor/Mentee Luncheon on Friday, June 16. RSVP by June 7!

Learn more about the ongoing collaborative work between WSDA and Delta Dental of Washington following the organizations' Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

It's been called many things: Groundbreaking. Revolutionary. Award-winning. Perhaps most importantly, it's effective. Ask anyone affiliated with the University of Washington School of Dentistry's Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program and they will tell you: RIDE works. Learn more about the program and its plans for expansion in the WSDA News Issue 1 cover story.

"While there are many reasons why the American Dental Association is valuable to our nation’s dentists, I believe it is important to point out some of the less obvious values. Like road, electrical, water, and sewage systems help ensure stable communities, the ADA provides important infrastructure that sustains and enhances the work of state dental associations, local dental societies, and your practice."

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) will hold its next business meeting in a hybrid format on Friday, April 28 at 10:00 AM.

Effective June 27, 2023, prescribers of controlled substances, including dentists, must complete eight hours of one-time training on safely prescribing controlled substances (Schedules II, III, IV, and/or V) in order to receive or renew their registration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). See CE options at PNDC, from UW Continuing Dental Education, and from the ADA to meet the requirement.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) will hold a Dental Collaboration Committee meeting on June 6.

During the 2023 legislative session, WSDA successfully advocated for the passage of three important dental workforce bills that reduce barriers to hygiene licensure in our state and increase licensure portability for dentists and hygienists. In addition to advocating for important workforce legislation, WSDA also supported or opposed several bills this session concerning dental-related issues, insurance, small business issues, employer/employee matters, and much more.

The Washington State Department of Health, Healthcare-Associated Infections, and Antimicrobial Resistance Section is asking for you to fill out a 5-minute survey about infection prevention in your dental facility.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) is currently recruiting dentists for two upcoming vacancies who reside and engage in the active practice of dentistry east of the summit of the Cascade mountain range. Apply by May 26.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) will hold its next Dental Educational Outreach Committee meeting on Thursday, June 1 at 12:00 PM.

RCW 70.352.060 requires all dental laboratory registrations be renewed yearly prior to July 31st. It is recommended that renewal requirements be submitted early, as it takes time for the department to process renewals.

The LTSS Trust Program is on track for implementation on July 1, 2023 and will be funded by a .58 percent premium assessment on employee wages. Learn more about how this program will affect employers, employees, and self-employed individuals.