ATTENDEES EDUCATE LAWMAKERS ABOUT INSURANCE, FLUORIDE, DENTAL THERAPISTS AT DAY AT THE STATEHOUSE
At the 2025 ODA Day at the Statehouse, about 80 dentists and 30 dental students met with their state senators and representatives.
At the 2025 ODA Day at the Statehouse, about 80 dentists and 30 dental students met with their state senators and representatives on May 7.
“During this annual event, dentists at the grassroots level schedule a short meeting with legislators from our districts,” said Dr. Fred Alger, a periodontist in Gahanna. “This gives dentists from all over the state the opportunity to share our opinions about issues that affect our profession and our patients. I have attended the Day at the Statehouse for many years, but I considered this year to be especially important because of House Bill 182. This bill, if signed into law would ban the addition of fluoride to the drinking water in Ohio and affect the dental health of nearly 12 million people. We know from extensive research over decades, that removing fluoride from the drinking water would increase the rate of dental decay in our population. The repercussions of this action would be realized for years and for some over a lifetime. A disproportionate percentage of this harm would occur in our children and the less fortunate members of our society.”
Day at the Statehouse is the ODA’s most important grassroots advocacy initiative, where dentists have the opportunity to educate their legislators on issues important to dentistry.
“The ODA Day at the Statehouse is what I believe to be one of the greatest benefits to our membership,” said Olivia Dixon, a dental student at Case Western Reserve University. “This is an opportunity for us as dental professionals to advocate directly to our legislators for the best oral health care for our local communities. There is so much work that is done in organized dentistry that benefits our profession and therefore our patients on a daily basis, whether it be concerning insurance policy, community water fluoridation, licensure policy, etc. Dentistry is an ever-evolving profession and without institutions such as the ODA, we would be hard-pressed to keep up with the policy advancements which it requires.”
Alger agreed. “The Day at the Statehouse is definitively a benefit of our membership. As an organization, the ODA and its leaders and lobbyists are there to protect and promote our profession so that we can continue to care for our patients. Hearing from dentists from their district puts legislators in touch with dentists from their community. Our legislators aren’t experts in providing dental treatment or running a dental practice. They need our input, to avoid passing laws that would hurt our profession, while passing laws that would protect it. These efforts recently resulted in an increase in dental Medicaid reimbursement by over 90%, allowing access to care for countless people who otherwise could not receive it. Another recently passed law prevents insurance companies from forcing dentists to accept the fees insurers set for non-covered services.”
Attendees met with 88 legislative offices during this year’s event. Over 100 offices were contacted, and dentists will follow up with those offices that were not able to schedule a meeting during Day at the Statehouse to provide information or schedule a meeting in their district in the coming weeks.
“I had two meetings this year, and they both went very well,” Alger said. “The legislators and their staff were warm, welcoming and truly appeared glad to meet with us. They were polite and engaging – asking questions and listening intently to our answers. It has been my experience that this is generally the way that legislators treat members from the ODA during Day at the Statehouse. They especially enjoy the input of young dentists and dental students, who are the future of our profession.”
Before meeting with legislators, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a Zoom meeting, watch a recorded video and attend legislative briefings where the ODA lobbying team presented details on the topics they were asked to discuss with their legislators and tips on how to have these conversations.
“The ODA does a fantastic job of preparing us for our meetings. They give us multiple ways to learn about the issues and prepare for the meetings,” said Dr. Jack Felton, a general dentist in Tiffin. “I feel it is a huge benefit and no better way to inform them of the issues than in a one-on-one meeting. They want to learn what you have to say and they really want to do what is best for our patients.”
Attendees were asked to discuss several issues important to dentistry at this year’s Day at the Statehouse:
- The oral health benefits of community water fluoridation.
- The dangers of allowing dental therapists to practice in Ohio.
- Dental insurance reform.
“I was able to feel confident going into our meetings with our state legislators,” Dixon said. “I believe that this confidence was founded in the fact that our stances on the issues discussed are firmly based on years of data and expertise from seasoned dental professionals. An additional key to our success in these meetings were those who organized the ODA Day at the Statehouse event. Those men and women supplied ourselves and our legislators with concise information on the issues discussed enabling clear and to-the-point communication.”
If you would like to serve as a contact for a legislator in your area throughout the year, please contact Eric Richmond, director of legal and legislative services, by calling (800) 282-1526 or emailing eric@oda.org.
“I am an advocate for my community and believe as a leader I need to represent the needs of the communities I serve. Dental school did not show us the importance of organized dentistry and I want to show through my actions what it means to be an important member of our local communities,” said Dr. Turab Rai, a general dentist in Franklin. “I had one meeting and it seemed to go well. We only have a negative view on people when we make assumptions. Our politicians are awesome!”
Alger added “I would encourage any dentist who is thinking about getting more involved to attend next year’s Day at the Statehouse. Feel free to go along for the ride your first year. You will see that it is not so scary, and it is a fun and valuable experience. Unfortunately, there are outside forces that wish to hurt our ability to continue practicing dentistry the way that we are used to. It is for this reason that we need to be ever diligent and involved with advocacy for our profession.”
