President's Message

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Greetings Everyone, 10/12/25

Here we are in the “full swing” of Fall 2025. What a great year for the profession of dental assisting. The Oregon Board of Dentistry (OBD) approved the Local Anesthetic Functions Certificate (LAFC) with several approved courses being offered. If you or your colleagues are interested in finding out more, please go to the ODAA Website CE Page . The Restorative Functions Certificate (RFC) is also available for EFDA’s by taking an approved course and passing the Western Regional Board Exam.

As the shortage of dental assistants and dental hygienists continues, these additional functions for EFDA’s that require approved training and examination, can improve access to care for our patients and provide support to the other team members in the dental practice. If you are interested in the actual OBD Rule, go to the Oregon Dental Practice Act (DPA), Division 42.

The ODAA Fall Conference on Friday, September 12th was very successful. ODAA has a great partnership with the Oregon Association of Dental Labs (OADL) who invited us for a second year of education and fun. We had excellent speakers and presentations, great food and a wonderful celebration. The Empower Hour, where we heard from a panel of 6 recent LAFC holders was inspiring. They shared their stories about taking a LA course and how it has impacted their career and the dental practice where they are employed. Go to see photos of the conference on the homepage. We look forward to scheduling another fall conference in 2026 so be looking out for our announcements.

The ODAA board members conducted an annual Planning Session at Clackamas Community College on Saturday, September 20th. Lots of wonderful ideas were discussed with plans in place for 2026. One of the biggest changes the ODAA board voted on was to update our  organizational chart to reflect the functions of the board members who are currently serving. New titles and responsibilities with lots of areas where we would welcome your input. Please “take a look” at our new org chart above and let us know if you have ideas to share with our board members.

The ODAA Bi-monthly Business Meeting Schedule was approved for the following dates: 11/10, 1/12, 3/9, 5/11, 7/13. All meetings are conducted virtually on Monday evenings from 6 to 7:30pm. If you are interested in attending, please let me know and I will send you a link. We welcome members and guests!

ODC 2026 is scheduled for April 9th through 11th this year. ODAA will have a courtesy table in the main hallway of the Convention Center with our Photo booth cut-out available for some memorable photos to share or post on social media. Be looking for the schedule to come out in January and a possible limited attendance dental assistant luncheon. We are always excited to see your smiling faces and like to provide a fun event along with great CE opportunities.

ODAA continues to offer OBD approved online courses for Pit & Fissure Sealant and Denture Reline Certificates. Please go to the ODAA website for more information.

ODAA has a wonderful partnership with the Oregon Dental Hygiene Association (ODHA). They provided strong support during the legislative issues Oregon dental assistants faced in 2023. It would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to obtain the local anesthetic certificate approval if we had not had their support during the 4-year long process. With that said ODAA has created a position statement found here, that supports ODHA and the opposition to the OPA certificate for dental assistants. Please read the additional information that is included at the end of this greeting. There are links to read articles that help to clarify the reasons for opposition.

As always, we love to hear from you. Especially your ideas on how we can support you and your career. We welcome ideas on what opportunities you might be looking for. Let us know. We are here to serve you!

As the fall season ends and the holidays approach, I wish for you a safe and joyful time to celebrate with family and friends.

My Best,

Ginny Jorgensen, ODAA Director

Why Oregon Should Oppose

Oral Preventive Assistants (OPA)

Creating a new “oral preventive assistant” (OPA) role to remove supragingival calculus is a

high‑risk, low‑yield workaround. Evidence from other states shows limited access gains, increased

regulatory complexity and unclear patient‑safety safeguards. There are better, faster ways to expand

hygiene capacity without creating a two‑tier system of care.

Actionable Alternatives

•   Fund additional RDH seats and clinical rotations in shortage counties.

•   Public‑health supervision/general‑supervision hygiene in safety‑net and school settings.

•   Loan‑repayment/bonus incentives for RDHs in rural and Medicaid‑heavy clinics.

•   Mobile/school‑based hygiene programs with teledentistry for exams.

•   Authorize dental therapists to deliver prevention/restorative care with proven access gains.

•   Use dental hygiene assistants to expose dental images, coronal polish, gather and record information.

Rationale

1) Patient safety & quality risks

• Short courses cannot replicate CODA‑accredited dental hygiene education in assessment, periodontal disease recognition, medical risk triage, and infection control.

• OPAs are restricted to the healthiest patients—yet real‑world triage errors are common; missed

• periodontitis leads to delayed care and higher downstream costs.

2) Minimal access gains where shortages are most severe

•   States that allow assistants to scale report little impact on rural/low‑income access; utilization tends to cluster in private, metropolitan practices, not shortage areas.

3) Operational and liability burden

• Rules require supervision, patient disclosures, posting of certificates, and limits on how many auxiliaries a dentist/hygienist can oversee—adding overhead without adding independent capacity.

4) Two‑tier system & workforce morale

• Delegating core hygiene duties to less‑prepared staff risks eroding team solidarity and professional standards, while creating a lower tier of care for Medicaid/uninsured patients.

5) Better, proven alternatives exist

• Expand public‑health supervision for hygienists, fund RDH seats and clinical rotations, strengthen loan‑repayment, enable dental therapists where authorized, and deploy mobile/school‑based hygiene—all without creating a new, confusing role.

Specific Examples from Other States

Arizona (2025)

• New statewide OPA category; At least120 hours of didactic/clinical training under supervision from a dentist or hygienist. OPA’s can practice on periodontally healthy patients or patients with localized mild-gingivitis. Prohibited acts include air polishing and working on medically compromised and/or sedated patients.

• Must inform patients care was not provided by a licensed provider and post certificate at point of care. State board of dental examiners are required to collect and report data about OPA’s by 1/1/2029.

References: https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1783954;

Missouri (2024–2025)

References:

An Overview of the Oral Preventative Assistant Pilot Project

https://www.modental.org/member-resources/advocacy-pac/opa-pilot

•   Pilot project (not statewide adoption) limited to select clinics, emphasizing Medicaid and rural sites.

•   OPA trainees work only under supervision and on healthy/gingivitis patients; formal evaluation is pending—no peer‑reviewed outcomes yet.

Illinois

•   Allows dental assistants to perform supragingival scaling with hand instruments only for patients ≤17 who are Medicaid‑enrolled, uninsured, or ≤300% federal poverty level.

•   Pt’s must be absence of periodontal disease and who are not medically compromised or individuals with special needs

•   Hand instruments only

•       Dental Assistant must have completed at least 2,000 hours of direct clinical pt care experience and successfully completed a training program.

•   Caps on assistants per supervising dentist; numerous setting restrictions.

Link to Bill: https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/SB/PDF/10400SB1463.pdf

Kansas (since 1998)

• Assistants may perform coronal scaling only with certificate.

• Surveys and follow‑ups show scaling assistants concentrated in metro private practices; stakeholders reported the model did not meet its access‑to‑care goals in underserved areas.

References:

Perceptions of Kansas Extended Care Permit Dental Hygienists' Impact on Dental CareJulia Brotzman Myers, Cynthia C. Gadbury-Amyot, Chris VanNess, Tanya Villalpando Mitchell American Dental Hygienists' Association Dec 2014, 88 (6) 364-372;

Mitchell TV, Gadbury-Amyot C, Overman P, Peters R. The impact of Kansas House Bill 2724: perceptions of Kansas dental hygienists and dental assistants. J Dent Hygiene. 2003;77(IV):233-243. Google Scholar

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Happy Spring from ODAA,                                                                                              6/1/25

Along with ODAA’s new branding (that I hope you were able to see at the ODC in April) We are so excited to announce that several Oregon EFDA’s have already successfully completed the Local Anesthesia course, have received their certificate and are now able to perform local anesthetic injections on dental patients.

Congratulations to the first EFDA’s who have chosen to advance their careers in a way that benefits dental practices, patient dental care access and to demonstrate that the dental assistant profession is a career that has growth and opportunity.

Thank you to the dentists who believe in their dental assistants and are encouraging and supportive to this new level of certification. Along with the Restorative Certification, the LAC can become a “game changer” for dental practices across Oregon.

Oregon is the 2nd state to allow dental assistants to complete the education and training for LAC. Minnesota was the first and I would hope there will be more states to follow.

As we all know, the shortage of dental assistants is a hot topic in the dental community. Oregon has pathways and a career ladder that will attract more people and with additional functions/certificates there should be an increase in wages that is one of the ways that data shows will retain dental assistants in the profession. (Please read the story below of one of Oregon’s first EFDA’s to receive her LAFC)

ODAA is committed to providing accurate and reliable information regarding education, rules and regulations and dental assistant . Our goal is to be able to connect with all Oregon dental assistants (and our Washington neighbors too) to be available for legislative activity when needed and to continuously promote the profession of dental assisting. If you know of any dental assistants who you think would benefit from ADAA/ODAA membership please let them know about this special opportunity. We want to connect with you! Let us know how we can support your dental assisting career. And…we are always looking for members who have creative ideas to contribute to our already amazing ODAA board team. Come join us!

My Best,

Ginny Jorgensen, ODAA President

The Changing Opportunities and Recognition of Oregon Dental Assistants;

Implementation of Local Anesthesia Functions Certificate (LAFC)

According to Marilyn Wilson, EFDA, EFODA, LAFC “waiting for her dentist to numb the patient” is no longer necessary now that she successfully completed an Oregon Board of Dentistry (OBD) approved Local Anesthesia Course for Oregon Expanded Functions Dental Assistants (EFDA’s). Having acquired the Local Anesthesia Functions Certificate (LAFC), Marilyn is allowed to perform this procedure for dental patients in Dr. Dean Gregson’s dental practice in Milwaukie, Oregon where she has been employed for 11 years.

Marilyn enrolled in Teacher Tina’s 65-hour local anesthesia course as one of the first Oregon EFDA’s to do so. Dr. Gregson and the dental hygienists employed in his practice encouraged and supported her decision to expand her knowledge and advance her dental assisting career by taking this challenging course.

Having an EFDA in the dental practice who can provide local anesthetic for restorative patients, alleviates the need to wait for the dentist or to ask the hygienists to leave their hygiene patient to anesthetize a restorative patient in the next operatory. The time savings supports the dental practice and lessens the “chair-time” for the dental patients. It is a “win/win” for all.

Marilyn graduated from the Portland Community College Dental Assisting Program in 1997 where she received her OR-EFDA, OR-EFODA and Pit and Fissure Sealant Certificates. Her 28-year career has seen many changes. Mrs. Wilson mentioned that dental assistants have so many important responsibilities in a dental practice that are way beyond chairside duties. Equipment and Dental Unit Waterline maintenance, infection control and sterilization, OSHA standards, supply inventory and more.

When Marilyn first learned there was the potential for dental assistants to earn a certificate to provide local anesthetic injections she was thrilled. Marilyn said that, “Much of the waiting during the day is for the dentist or hygienist to give the local anesthetic injection.” By earning the LAFC she will be able to help keep the patient schedule moving rather than “standing around” waiting.

Initially, Marilyn heard about the LAFC through a Patterson study club meeting that she attends. She discussed it with Dr. Gregson who was supportive and checked in with the dental hygienists in her dental practice to make sure they were “onboard”. There was some slight skepticism just as there was for many in the dental community until they found out that the course EFDA’s are required to take and pass is the same course they were required to take and pass in their dental hygiene programs. It made sense to them and was a relief to know they would not be asked as often to anesthetize restorative patients.

With Dr. Gregson’s financial support and encouragement and the purchase of a required liability insurance policy, Marilyn registered for the first 65-hour LAFC course that was offered by Tina Clarke, RDH. Joined by 10 other cohorts, two of whom already had their Restorative Functions Certificate (RFC) and are currently placing fillings and one dental hygienist who moved to Oregon from Texas who had not had the opportunity to provide local anesthetic in her state, the rigorous study of local anesthesia began.

Marilyn said the course was difficult and required lots of study time but Tina had structured the online content in a well-organized manner that provided pre-recorded lectures, study guides, progress tests and a final exam that all students are required to pass at 75% or higher to successfully complete the course and receive the LARC. The students even received a plastic skull and colored pens to use for the study for location of nerves, injection sites and angles.

Once the cohort came together in a dental office in Salem for the clinical requirements, there were lengthy discussions regarding specific patient scenarios, potential outcomes and the “step by step” process of giving local anesthetic prior to injecting each other. During the required two-day in-person part of the course Marilyn was able to practice injecting on 6 others. She received over 20 injections herself. The entire cohort of 11 successfully completed the course and are now able to provide this service for dental patients. Not only will it lessen the need to “wait around” but it will also increase efficiency in the dental schedule while improving access to care for Dr. Gregson’s dental patients.

Although it took time and a village to gather the support for Oregon to accept that dental assistants are very capable of learning and providing local anesthetic for dental patients, the benefits will outweigh the wait.

As Oregon continues to work on filling the dental assistant shortage, making this progressive move toward adding career advancement opportunities will enhance the interest in the profession and retain those who may otherwise have been looking for a more challenging and rewarding career. With the addition of advanced dental assistant functions, Oregonians can be confident they will receive the high-quality dental care they deserve from educated professionals.

Meanwhile, Marilyn says, “It has just been so much fun getting people numb and seeing my Dr. relieved that he can start working.”

Congratulations to Oregon and the EFDA’s who receive their LAFC!

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2025 ODAA Presidents Message

Happy New Year Oregon and Washington Dental Assistants!

Here we are going into 2025 with new and exciting career growth opportunities for the profession of dental assisting in Oregon. YAY! The Local Anesthesia Functions Certificate and new Oregon Board of Dentistry, Dental Practice Act, Division 42 Rule has been approved and is official:

Local Anesthesia Functions of Dental Assistants

(1) The Board shall issue a Local Anesthesia Functions Certificate (LAFC) to a dental assistant who holds an Oregon EFDA Certificate, and has successfully completed a Board approved curriculum from a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or other course of instruction approved by the Board.

(2) A dental assistant may administer local anesthetic agents and local anesthetic reversal agents under the indirect supervision of a licensed dentist. Local anesthetic reversal agents shall not be used on children less than 6 years of age or weighing less than 33 pounds.

Adding this function to the long list of skills and duties dental assistants are already able to perform will contribute to and improve access to care for Oregon dental patients. The opportunity to obtain education, training and certification for local anesthesia and restoration placement enhances the growth of the dental assisting profession. In addition, these new approved skills will contribute to the overall efficiency of dental procedures and can increase production. By obtaining this additional training and certification it will also be an incentive for dental assistant wage increases and provide addition career satisfaction. Along with providing quality, safe and efficient dental care this will benefit the recruitment and retention of dental assistants while helping to fill and maintain the shortage. It is an exciting time for sure!

It is important to note that dental practices have the choice of implementing these dental assistant functions. There are many Oregon dentists who will not feel it is necessary for dental assistants in their practice perform these skills. As always it is ultimately the decision and responsibility for licensed dentists to manage their practice how they wish. The opportunity for dental assistants to expand their knowledge and career is a conversation and important decision made by accessing the dental practice needs and the dentists’ philosophy.

ODAA continues to offer free virtual CE courses. Monica Emmons from Dentsply Sirona provided an excellent CE course Tuesday, January 7th at 6pm. For those that attended I am sure you learned new information regarding the “New Spin on Polishing”. It was super interesting and Monica is an amazing presenter. ODAA will have a recording of her course on the new ODAA YouTube channel soon. Monica is providing another course on Tuesday, January 21st at 6pm, “Intra-oral Radiology Tips”. Please join ODAA as this will be a great CE packed full of tips and tricks for that perfect image.

Bonnie Marshall continues to offer the “Pit & Fissure Sealant” and “Denture Reline” courses in a hybrid format for Oregon EFDA’s. Please contact Bonnie for more information and to register for this OBD Certificate approved course. mgrammabuns50@gmail.com

The 2025 Oregon Dental Conference is scheduled for April 3rd through 5th. ODAA will have a courtesy table as we have for many years where you can find ODAA members to connect with, catch up, answer questions and just have conversations regarding dental assisting. DANB and the DALE Foundation will also be present to provide answers to questions you might have regarding education, exams and certification.

ODAA is sponsoring 3 CE courses this year:

Friday morning, April 4th

Presenter: Karen Daw, "The OSHA Lady"

Presentation: Talking Dirty: An Informative and Enlightening Presentation around Infection Control for Employee and Patient Safety 

Friday afternoon, April 4th

Presenter: Dr. David L. Carsten, DDS, MAGD, FPFS, FACD, FADI

Presentation: Empathy, Communication, and Leadership: Making Work and Life Better 

Saturday morning, April 5th

Presenters: Sarah Stream, Ginny Jorgensen, and Jen Hawley Price

Presentation: RHS/ICE Review, OR-EFDA Review, and Overall explanation of DANB exams, DALE Foundation and products to help study

In addition, be looking for a fun ODAA event being planned for Friday, April 4th.

Early registration is open and ready for you to review what other courses will be available. ODAA looks forward to seeing you attend!

As you can see ODAA is busy with new active board members engaging in new and exciting social media posts on Facebook/Instagram and including a Student Spotlight Program. ODAA has an updated website that is filled with all kinds of Oregon dental assistant information. If you have a dental assistant question this is the place to go ODAA website. If you do not find the answer you are looking for, contact us at odaa@oregondentalassistants.com.

ODAA is excited for 2025 and is looking for dental assistants who want to become involved and more active with the dental assisting profession. If you are interested, have ideas you would like to share, education you would like to see offered and just provide input to how ODAA can support your dental assisting career, please reach out to us. We would love to hear your ideas.

Thank you all for your commitment to the amazing career of dental assisting and the special care you provide for your dental patients. You are awesome!

My Best,

Ginny Jorgensen, ODAA President

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Greetings Everyone,

As the summer begins to fade I hope you have all had an opportunity to enjoy the long days, warm weather and have some fun memories to add to your photo album 

The fall is upon us and we are so excited to remind you that ODAA is joining the Oregon Association of Dental Labs (OADL) 2024 Conference on October 18th and 19th. I hope you have these dates on your calendar to attend. Registration will begin the 2nd week of September. We hope you will join us for the conference including a Happy Hour Social Event on Friday, October 18th from 4 to 5pm. This conference provides an opportunity to meet and learn with other dental assistants and lab techs. Members and non-members are encouraged to attend ODAA's first conference with Oregon dental lab techs. It's going to be fun! Please share with all your dental friends!

In addition, dental assistants are invited to attend the Oregon Dental Hygiene Association (ODHA) Conference scheduled for November 1st and 2nd. Several dental assistants are presenting which I think will be of interest to you. Also, there are other courses you will be interested in attending so be looking for the schedule and registration to be available soon. Working together and learning together builds a really strong team so take this opportunity to join your dental hygiene team members. ODAA will have a courtesy table so stop by to say hi and ask about our new dental assistant recruitment program. 

The ODAA website and social media pages have a new fresh look including "How to become a Dental Assistant". We are super proud of this campaign to promote the dental assisting profession. Please make sure to visit the page where you will find links to postcards and posters to print and display in your dental offices. We need to get the "word out" on what a wonderful career dental assisting can be. 

The dental assistant local anesthetic proposal has moved to a public hearing scheduled via Zoom on 9/24. This meeting is where there will be the opportunity to voice support for dental assistants to add another tier to our education and to provide another skill that supports dental practices and ultimately dental patient care. Check out the Oregon Board of Dentistry website for the Zoom link to be posted soon.

So many exciting happenings! It's a great time to be a dental assistant!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

My best to you.

Ginny Jorgensen, ODAA President

  Greetings ODAA Members and Happy Spring!

ODAA wants to THANK YOU for continuing to support the dental assisting profession in Oregon. We look forward to having you become more involved with our activities and events so we would love to hear what you think ODAA can do to better serve you as your professional organization.

Here we are entering into the summer season after a successful 2024 Oregon Dental Conference in April. ODAA had the pleasure of welcoming over 120 dental assisting students, faculty and guests at a luncheon to celebrate the profession of dental assisting.

ODAA also sponsored two guest speakers at ODC on Friday, April 5th; Tija Hunter presented Documentation and the Dental Assistant and Jen Hawley-Price presented Celebrating Dental Superheroes; Dental Assisting and infection Control Coordinators. The speakers provided engaging, interactive presentations that were well-attended and received. Plans for ODC 2025 have already begun so please let us know what type of events, courses, etc. you would like to see ODAA sponsor.

Because dental assisting rules, regulations, exams and certificates are continuously changing and improving, we want you to be informed. Please take a moment to look through the Oregon Board of Dentistry meeting agenda packets that are linked here to see how many changes are involving dental assistants and how those changes may affect your career.

Mark your calendars for October 18th and 19th. ODAA is planning to join the Oregon Association of Dental Labs (OADL) 2024 Conference where there will be some excellent CE courses. This is a perfect opportunity for dental lab techs and assistants to meet, learn and socialize together. OADL has had a very successful conference for many years. Be looking for more information to come.

ODAA is here for YOU and would like to provide answers to questions you may have, provide certificate pathway guidance and to hear what ideas you might have for dental assistants in Oregon. We value your opinion and are always open for discussion and feedback regarding the dental assisting profession. Please reach out to me any time with your questions and/or comments.

My Best,

Ginny Jorgensen, ODAA President

Greetings Oregon Dental Assistants! 

It is my pleasure to have been appointed as the Oregon Dental Assistants Association President on September 21, 2023. To all the ODAA current members and future members, I am excited to be a part of the Oregon dental assistant movement that started last winter when Oregon legislative bills were introduced that would have eliminated required education and certificate examinations. These bills were presented as a method to address the dental assistant shortage that all states are experiencing. However, as many of you know, there have been studies and data collected that proves this move would not reverse the shortage issue but would only exacerbate it.

Oregon is a progressive state with many feasible pathways to certificates that allow us to provide needed dental care to our patients. This is the foundation and the building blocks of our profession. It was heard “loud and clear” that Oregon dental assistants and dentists alike did not want the professional standing of a dental assisting to be diminished or reduced to “just a job”.

Coming together we were able to prevent these bills from being passed through legislation in their original form. However, there may be more challenges ahead and we need YOU to be a part of the ODAA alliance so we are better prepared for what we may face in the future.

For example, there is a new exciting proposal for Oregon dental assistants to be first in the nation to provide local anesthetic to dental patients after additional education and training. We want you to be aware of this and many other new opportunities that might enhance your profession as a dental assistant.

In addition to legislative preparation and activity, the ODAA has a wide variety of opportunities to help grow our coalition and come together.  With the 2023/24 ODAA board, and some new committees being established, we have plans for change and to acknowledge there are new ways of communicating. Now that “virtual” has become a way of life, it has allowed us to be connected no matter how far from each other that we live. It is an opportunity to connect our dental communities, to help promote dental assisting as a viable career and profession,  to support dentistry, and provide safe dental care for all Oregon patients.

Let’s be part of the change together! Join us to become involved in the ODAA mission “to promote the careers of dental professionals which will enable the working individual to provide quality patient care.”  

May best to you all for a great fall and winter season. We look forward to hearing from you!

Ginny Jorgensen, ODAA President