Category: ODA Today

Contact us! The ODA is the primary resource for Ohio dentists. Most likely, we can answer your question or direct you to the appropriate source. Our staff members are experts in answering questions about insurance issues, regulatory compliance, legal issues and more. We’re available by phone or email to provide personal assistance as a ... [continue reading]

As your ADA trustee, I wanted to share a few highlights from our June Board meeting and provide an update on the work being done to support our members. The Board welcomed Dr. Nader Nadershahi in his first Board meeting as ADA executive director. Dr. Nadershahi emphasized the importance of strengthening our ADA’s foundation through a culture ... [continue reading]

The ADA’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct (Code) require dentists to respect the patient’s rights to self-determination and confidentiality. Section 1 – Principle: Patient Autonomy of the Code “expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to treat the patient according to the patient’s desires, within the ... [continue reading]

The Ohio Dental Association continues to receive calls from concerned dental offices about the No Surprises Act. The calls are mostly sparked by patients who complain to the dental office that the dentist is not complying with the No Surprises Act, particularly the section of the law that addresses balanced billing. The patients hope to lower ... [continue reading]

Last week, I sat in seat 21A on a United 777, somewhere over the Pacific, watching my brother-in-law fly his last flight. Mark Sheehy has been flying for 40 years. He served the first part of his career in the Air Force, flying combat search and rescue missions in the MC-130, and retired as a colonel in 2012. He spent 36 years flying for United ... [continue reading]

In the medical and dental world of education, the end of June brings about news of post-graduation plans. From anticipated one-year fellowships to associateship contracts, the one thing that we rarely hear about is the start-up dental practice right out of dental school. Now what is interesting is that this perspective is a little different from ... [continue reading]

A May 4, 2026 NYTimes article entitled, “A Cavity Doesn’t Always Need a Filling” talks about the variation in our profession’s assessment of the need to restore a hole in a tooth or cavity (or “carie” which always makes me think of a football statistic).1 Dentists interviewed by the author, Erik Vance, provided a range of explanations ... [continue reading]

This year, we are celebrating two significant anniversaries. As has been much hyped, America is celebrating its Semiquincentennial in 2026. Perhaps somewhat less noticed is that the Ohio Dental Association is celebrating its 160th anniversary in 2026. Both are truly worth celebrating. This column is the first installment of a two-part series ... [continue reading]

At the 2026 ODA Day at the Statehouse, about 80 dentists and residents and 45 dental students met with their state senators and representatives on May ... [continue reading]

Hygienists in Ohio are now permitted to use lasers once they have successfully completed a course on the use of lasers and passed written and clinical competency exams. The 2024 ODA House of Delegates adopted a policy on laser usage by dental hygienists and directed the ODA Executive Committee to take appropriate actions to implement the ... [continue reading]