The Oregon Board of Dentistry will meet on Friday, June 13, 2025 at the Board office located at 1500 SW 1st Avenue, Suite 770, Portland, OR  97201 The agenda for this meeting will include a Zoom link for participants who would like to attend virtually. Anyone may participate in the Open Sessions of the Board meeting.  

The agenda and public packet for this Board meeting will be posted on the Board website at www.oregon.gov/dentistry approximately one week before the meeting. Scroll down to About Us and click on Meetings. The public packet is usually more than 200 pages in length. We recommend that you review this document online and only print pages if you need them. 

If you would like to participate in the Open Sessions of this or any future Board meeting, contact ODHA Advocacy Director Lisa J. Rowley at [email protected] for more information. Upcoming Oregon Board of Dentistry meetings will be held on the following Fridays:  August 22, October 24 and December 12.

Component News  

HIGH DESERT COMPONENT

Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa & Wheeler Counties

I wanted to share something that happened recently. I was very disappointed to see the legislative changes that occurred in Arizona, allowing dental assistants to scale “healthy” patients. In an ODHA leadership meeting I asked “what is the ADHA doing?” Lisa Rowley let me know that without the ADHA fighting that legislation it would have been much worse. Arizona lawmakers were originally thinking about passing a bill that would allow the assistants to perform periodontal probing and do so with fewer training hours than what was ultimately passed. This made me realize that our voices can matter, and there is value in being an ODHA member and leader. Please share this with your colleagues because united dental hygienists will have a voice which can create an impact on our profession’s future.

Locally, I wanted to share that Oregon Tech’s Klamath Falls dental hygiene cohort is planning for their annual international externship program. This year the students will be delivering dental hygiene care to patients in Jamaica. This year’s team consists of 11 students who will be accompanied by Dana Manfull, an adjunct instructor, Daniel Ede for support staff, and Denise Seabert Oregon Tech’s interim dean. The students will be leaving in August, and they have been fundraising tirelessly for the trip. As an Oregon Tech alum I believe this trip teaches students more about humanity, kindness, program organization and management than can be taught in the classroom. They are still looking for supplies such as: toothbrushes, Caviwipes, floss, toothpaste, medium and large gloves. If you or your office would like to donate, please email Jeannie Bopp at [email protected].

METRO EAST COMPONENT

Representing Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah & Wasco Counties

Hello all!!! At Metro East we are wrapping up the academic year but there is still plenty going on behind the scenes.

First, let’s talk Botox! Last month I was able to attend and represent all of you as I am also a member of the Oregon Board of Dentistry’s Licensure Standards and Competency committee. In response to a letter written by a practicing dental hygienist in Oregon, the committee discussed the idea of dental hygienists being able to administer Botox for dental purposes. I was able to speak up and share with the other committee members that many dental hygienists that I speak with are interested in having this privilege to also inject for cosmetic purposes. This idea is moving forward to the Board for review so let’s keep our fingers crossed! 

We have so many great opportunities as dental hygienists in Oregon, however, it takes having a professional association to keep these rights and privileges. Our professional value is not set in stone. 

In Nevada, they are close to passing legislation that will allow individuals to become licensed dental hygienists without completing a CODA accredited dental hygiene education program. Yes, you read that correctly. 

This is unacceptable for patient care and the standards we hold ourselves to as highly trained and skilled professionals. 

Do you ever ask yourself why one membership really matters? I used to.

Well, I’ll tell you, so listen up. It doesn’t. But when there are MANY memberships, IT DOES!!  Membership shows that we are UNITED and we have a voice that will be heard! It reminds me of that movie “A Bug’s Life” when all of the ants finally stand up to the grasshoppers.

Our strength is in our numbers and our voices! For less than one day’s pay, your membership shows that we are professionals who don’t sit in the back of the room, we stand up and we will defend ourselves! Dental hygienists from all over the country are contacting the Nevada legislature to oppose this bill. If you care about keeping your value, join those dental hygienists and also if you are not already, BECOME A MEMBER OF ODHA!!!  Our rights can dissolve if we don’t defend them.

NORTH WEST COMPONENT

Representing Clatsop, Columbia, Marion, Polk, Tillamook, Washington & Yamhill Counties

If you needed an additional reason to consider joining ODHA how would 6 additional free CE credits sound? Did you know that participating in ODHA leadership can also get you up to 6 hours of CE credit for license renewal? 

One of the big responsibilities that we have as a part of the component leadership as well as on the board of directors is organizing CE courses and the conference. OR 818-021-0070 Section (3)(b) states that teaching and preparation of scientific sessions qualifies for up to 6 hours of CE credit for licensure. This means that the planning of CE at both the conference and at the component level counts for 6 hours of CE credit. You will still also get CE credit for attending the CE courses that you organized as well. 

This statute means that by volunteering with ODHA you will not only be protecting and expanding our scope of practice, meeting amazing fellow hygiene professionals, expanding your knowledge but also getting additional CE credit. If any of this sounds interesting to you, reach out to either your local component leadership or the ODHA president and secretary for volunteer opportunities.

I also want to say thank you to all who participated at our Rant, Reflect, Reform CE on the 29th. We had valuable discourse on situations that many hygienists struggle with as well as feedback from seasoned hygienists on how to approach those situations. We also had a great info session with Lisa Rowley updating us on the the potential changes to our scope of practice including how close we are to adding botox and how ODHA is strengthening the verbiage to prevent Oregon from having an Oral Preventative Assistant among other issues with the Dental Access Model Act. 

For reference the exact wording of 818-021-0070 is as follows: (3)(b) Research, graduate study, teaching or preparation and presentation of scientific sessions. No more than six hours may be in teaching or scientific 9 - Div. 21 sessions. (Scientific sessions are defined as scientific presentations, table clinics, poster sessions and lectures.).

The Highlighted section above is what the Oregon Board of Dentistry has confirmed as being the rationale for the CE credit allowance for participating in ODHA leadership.

SOUTH WEST COMPONENT

Representing Benton, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln & Linn Counties

Greetings South West Component!

Our pizza party celebration for graduating Dental Hygiene students attending Lane Community College and Lisa Rowley’s presentation “License Portability and the DDH Compact” and “Empowering Dental Hygienists to Advocate for Your Profession” was a great success! Thank you to all that stopped by in person, as well as to all our zoom attendees! I am happy to say that Lisa inspired many new “change agents” that are now ready to promote and enhance our profession! 

Also, each student was excited to receive a Dennis Muir Scholarship License mat, a perfect way to display their soon to come licenses. Courtney Marquess from Haleon, a Sensodyne representative, also surprised the students with “Nothing Bundt Cakes”. If you haven’t had one yet, I highly recommend you do! Yummmy! A huge thank you to Michelle Cummins, Dental Hygiene Program Coordinator for LCC, for hosting this event.

We are looking forward to having more CE events in collaboration with LCC, so keep an eye out for announcements.

Again, thank you all, and have a great June!

IMPORTANT UPDATES FROM THE ADHA

ADHA Opposes Nevada Bill that would Create Alternative Pathway for Dental Hygiene Licensure

The Nevada legislature considered a bill that would have allowed individuals to obtain a dental hygiene license without graduating from a dental hygiene education program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Instead, candidates would be eligible for licensure after completing a Board-approved on-the-job training program under the supervision of a licensed dentist. They would then take a dentist-conducted competency exam (written exam and clinical exam).

The ADHA worked closely with the Nevada Dental Hygienists’ Association (NDHA) to oppose this bill by reaching out to legislators and engaging dental hygienists across the country to raise their voices. On June 2 this bill passed in the Senate, but “died” in the Assembly when the legislative session ended at midnight. Now more than ever it is critical that dental hygienists are members of ADHA.

ADHA Responds to FDA Decision on Fluoride Products for Children

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has responded to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent decision to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market.

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association acknowledges the FDA’s announcement regarding the removal of ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market,” said Erin Haley-Hitz, RDH, BSDH, MS, FADHA, MAADH, current president of ADHA. “ADHA maintains that fluoride provided to children should be administered at scientifically safe levels. Rationales for limiting use should be based on evidence, and there is no scientific evidence that fluoride at low levels affects gut microbiota.”

We urge policymakers to consider the profound impact these decisions have on the oral health of the American people, and particularly vulnerable populations, and to support increased access to preventive dental care services,” Haley-Hitz said.

The full statement is available at adha.org/newsroom, with further information on fluoride and its preventive uses at adha.org/fluoride.

2025 ADHA House of Delegates 

The 102nd ADHA House of Delegates (HOD) will be held virtually on Friday, June 27 & Saturday, June 28, 2025. The ADHA HOD sets the policy and direction for the profession of dental hygiene, and discusses and votes on issues of national and global significance.

The ADHA HOD is composed of elected delegates from each of ADHA’s constituent (state) associations. The number of delegates and alternate delegates for each state is based on the number of ADHA members for that state. ODHA has three delegates based on our membership. Our 2025 delegates are Sandra Busch, Laura Vanderwerf, and Lisa Rowley, and alternate delegates are Sara Hill, Mindy Davis and Tia Morehouse.

This year’s ADHA HOD will consider 32 proposals that include new policies and amendments to existing policies. Once adopted, these policies will provide a course of action to guide current and future decisions for the ADHA. You can review these proposals in the HOD Delegates Manual at www.adha.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ADHA-Delegates-Manual_FY25-2.pdf.

ADHA Podcasts

• Licensed to Travel: Navigating Multiple State Licensure (episode 161)

• Standing Our Ground: Professional Ethics in an Era of Change (episode 160)

• Independent Practice: A New Frontier in Dental Hygiene (episode 159)

• Creating a Culture of Practice Success (episode 158)

• Elevating Dental Hygiene: The 2025 Standards  (episode 157)

For more information, click on www.adha.org/pod. 

ADHA Foundation Legacy League 

Effective July 1st the ADHA Institute for Oral Health Foundation is changing its name to the ADHA Foundation. The name change and rebranding are a part of strategic efforts to increase awareness and lessen the confusion about who we are, what we do, and our affiliation with the ADHA. 

The ADHA Foundation has initiated a Legacy League recurring donor program. By joining the Legacy League you can make recurring monthly donations to the ADHA Foundation and support its mission of advancing the dental hygiene profession through scholarships, research grants and community service grants. 

Donate at least $20 per month on a monthly recurring basis and help the ADHA Foundation continue its vital work.Your ongoing support will enable the ADHA Foundation to sustain and expand its programs, ensuring that it can reach even more dental hygienists and community members in need. Click on the following link to set up your monthly recurring donation. IOH Foundation Annual Fundraiser | Donate | Mightcause

UPCOMING EVENTS

Corvallis, Oregon Oral Cancer 5K Run/Walk - September 13, 2025

Click on the image below to learn more or to register to run/walk in this year's event!