CONTENTS OF NEWSLETTER:

• Upcoming Central Oregon Meetings & Events
• Central Oregon Dental News
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Seeking Employment
• Classified Ads
• Regional CE Calendar
• More Info.
• Editorials / Commentary
• Dear Dr. Rupert

UPCOMING MEETINGS, EVENTS or C.E.

October 2-3, 2026 (Fri. & Sat.) — ODA Regional Event & Annual Business Meeting in Sunriver, Oregon

Join us for family-friendly social activities, continuing education from leading experts, and relationship building with industry suppliers and our hybrid Annual Business Meeting. Registration opens in July. Be sure to check www.oregondental.org for all updates.

 Reach for the stars at the ODA Regional Event 

Friday, October 2nd – Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

Sunriver Resort

17600 Center Drive

Sunriver, Oregon 97707

Join us for 2 days of clinical CE, meaningful connections, and stellar energy! 

Plus, our Annual Business Meeting will be held over lunch on Saturday October 3rd. All ODA members are encouraged to attend the business meeting, in person or virtually, to engage in meaningful discussion and have a voice in decisions that guide the future of the association. 

All information, including pricing, agenda details and speaker line up, are available on our website.

Register: https://www.bcpay.online/EventRegistrations/register.php?Event=ODASunriverResort

Prevention & Diagnosis: The Final Frontier

9 hours of CE designed to elevate how you detect, prevent and treat.

The Oral Microbiome: A Powerful Driver of Health and Disease 

Friday, October 2nd, 2026

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Credits: 3

What we eat profoundly impacts our oral health, including the risk of dental caries, dental erosion, and periodontal disease. Compelling and emerging research also shows a strong link between the health of the oral microbiome and our risk of disease, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease, dementia, depression, arthritis, and more. This science-backed, insightful, and engaging presentation is about the importance of consuming a less processed, anti-inflammatory diet to optimize oral health, as well as overall health. It also covers the harm caused by sugary drinks, around-the-clock snacking, and ultra-processed foods.  

Treating Caries Chemically (Without The Filling) 

Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Credits: 3

Clinical practice today uses scientifically sound evidence-based approaches. There is a noticeable shift to the caries treatment paradigm by better preventing and managing caries as a disease at the patient level. Person-centered care is an approach where the individual in your dental chair is treated as a person rather than a patient; where their personal preferences and shared decisions drive clinical treatment options. This course will address current trends in caries risk management at the patient level utilizing an evidence-based, person-centered methodology. The presentation provides an excellent update relevant to clinical applications for the dentist, hygienist, assistant, and front office.

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Minimally Invasive Dentistry (SDF, GIC, and SMART)

Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Credits: 3

Dental caries is a site-specific disease in which the microbiology and chemistry will differ depending on location and local environment. This course will review the current ADA caries classification system to address these different sites and include a mechanism to track all stages of a caries lesion. New terminology, treatment thresholds, and use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF), glass ionomer cement (GIC) restoratives, and the silver modified atraumatic restorative treatment (SMART) will be presented. Only then will the clinician be able to use minimally invasive restorative approaches to managing this disease chemically at the tooth level. Actual clinical cases will be used to illustrate these concepts. The presentation provides an excellent update relevant to clinical applications for the dentist, dental therapist, hygienist, assistant, and front office.

Full Course Descriptions & Speaker Bios: https://www.oregondental.org/meetings-events/regional-event/speakers

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October 15, 2026 (Thurs.) — Single-Tooth Implant Complications: How to Optimize the changes for long-lasting success?

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December 3, 2026 (Thurs.) — Central Oregon Dental Society Meeting

6:00 pm – Social Hour

7:00 pm – Dinner and Meeting / CE

CE: TBD

Speaker: TBD

Location: Currents Restaurant at the Riverhouse

February 11, 2027 — Dental Day at the Capital

We learned from our recent member survey that Dental Day at the Capitol is one of our members’ favorite ways to get involved in our advocacy work, so we’re already planning our 2027 Dental Day at the Capitol. Mark your calendars for February 11th and plan to join us in Salem to advocate for oral health!

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April 29 – May 1, 2027 — Oregon Dental Conference

Plan to join us in downtown Portland for a 3-day conference filled with education, connection, and growth. The Annual Meeting Council are fully engaged with making the ODC the first choice for continuing education and camaraderie for our vibrant community of dental professionals. We look forward to bringing the community together once again and will be sharing more details in the months ahead. In the meantime, we encourage you to save the dates on your calendar. See you there!

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CENTRAL  OREGON DENTAL NEWS

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Solving Community Dental Access Challenges, Together

Submitted by Dr. Amberena Fairlee, DMD, President, Oregon Dental Association, in partnership with the Central Oregon Dental Task Force

Central Oregon’s dental practices are being asked to do a lot.

Workforce shortages, rising labor and operating costs, administrative requirements,
reimbursement challenges, cancellations and no-shows, and limited capacity make it
difficult to meet the needs of every patient seeking care. We recognize those realities.

At the same time, many Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members in our community are
struggling to access a dentist at all.

What if addressing that challenge didn’t require any one practice to take on a large
number of new patients? What if more of us could help just a little?

A Challenge Shared by Too Few

The 2025 Oregon Health Care Workforce Needs Assessment reports that more than
half of Oregon dentists do not accept OHP. Approximately 12% of Oregon dentists
provide nearly all Medicaid dental treatment, even though roughly 30% of Oregonians
are covered by Medicaid.

That means much of the responsibility for caring for OHP members is concentrated
among a relatively small portion of Oregon’s dental workforce.

The consequences are visible for patients. A 2024 OHA and OHSU evaluation found
that only 24% of Oregon adults covered by Medicaid had seen a dentist in the previous
year, compared with 62% of adults with private insurance.

OHP members in Central Oregon have told us what those numbers can look like in real
life: difficulty finding a dentist, long waits for appointments, traveling outside their
communities for care, and difficulty accessing preventive services before a dental
problem becomes urgent.

What If We Partnered for a Healthier Community?

We know that simply asking practices to “take more OHP” isn’t a complete solution.
Reimbursement, administrative burden, staffing, capacity, and other barriers need
attention too.

But expanding access doesn’t necessarily mean opening your practice to an unlimited
number of new OHP patients.

It might mean accepting one or two additional OHP patients each month.

It could mean reserving a small number of appointment slots for OHP members or
reopening a panel on a limited basis.

For practices already serving OHP members, it may simply mean continuing to do what
you’re doing.

Imagine the impact if more dental practices across Central Oregon each made room for
just a few additional patients.

Instead of asking a relatively small number of providers to carry most of the
responsibility, we could begin distributing access more broadly across our dental
community.

We Want to Work with You

The Central Oregon Dental Task Force was created to help improve access to timely
and appropriate dental care for OHP members. But we also want solutions that work for
dental practices.

That means helping connect interested providers with enrollment and credentialing
support, OHP plans, and dental care organizations.

It also means listening.

If your practice cannot currently accept OHP members, what would need to change for
you to consider it? We want to understand those barriers and identify where system-
level changes or additional support may help.

No individual dentist or practice can solve Oregon’s dental access challenge. Nor
should they be expected to.

But if more of us can do a little, together we can do a lot for the community we
love.

We want to hear from you.

Please take our brief survey to share what makes OHP participation challenging and
what resources or support could make it more feasible for your practice. Your feedback
will help the Dental Task Force and local Dental Care Organizations better understand
provider needs and identify practical ways to support participation.

Take the survey here.

Considering serving OHP members?

Check out the links below for more information on becoming an OHP provider.

• Learn how to become an OHP dental provider (link)
• Advantage Dental (link)
  • providerrelations@advantagedental.com
  • 888-480-4478 (option 4)
• Capitol Dental (link)
  • providers@capitoldentalcare.com
  • 1-800-525-6800
• ODS (link)
  • odsprovider@odscommunitydental.com
  • 1-800-342-0526

Sources

Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute at Oregon Health & Science
University, & Oregon Health Authority Health Policy and Analytics Division. (2024,
October). Evaluation of Oregon Health Plan Dental Provider Enrollment.

Oregon Health Authority, & Oregon Health Policy Board. (2025). Oregon’s health care
workforce needs assessment 2025 (T. Li, V. Irvin, J. Luck, & A. Bahl, Authors).
https://www.oregon.gov/oha

COCC Dental Assisting Clinic Dates and Volunteer Opportunities

A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteer dentists for your time, care, and support throughout this year’s COCC Dental Clinics. Your generosity impacts our students, patients and community, and we truly appreciate all you do. We could not do it without your support!

Volunteer dates for next year’s clinics are now available at the link below. This year, we are using a Google Sheet where volunteers can sign themselves up directly. Please be sure to include your name and email address when signing up. If you prefer, you are also welcome to email me and I would be happy to sign you up.

Here’s the Google Sheet link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14RNBLJaH5bWhPkYzOo1cj0cr1ik7fL_lI29JelTdgLw/edit?gid=0#gid=0

We would love to have you join us again!

Jenna Johnson

Central Oregon Community College
541.383.7574
jjohnson47@cocc.edu

News From the ODA, ADA & OBD

• New Online Training for Dental Assistants: On-the-job training can be overwhelming for both dental assistants and practices, but a new online course is here to help prepare assistants for their first day. On July 6, the ADA and Immersify — an artificial intelligence-powered learning technology company — launched Foundations First, a six-module course developed with the help of ADA subject matter experts that is designed to be completed before assistants see their first patient. Read more
• OBD Position Statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI): The OBD has published a position statement on the use of AI in the dental office. You can read the statement on our website.

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CENTRAL OREGON DENTAL SOCIETY OFFICERS

Please feel free to reach out to any of the Central Oregon Dental Society Officers, if you want to get more involved with organized dentistry, if you have ideas or suggestions for upcoming speakers or courses, or any other dental related issues on your mind.

• CODS President: Dr. Emily Bradshaw
• CODS Vice President: Dr. Jessica Henderson
• CODS Secretary/Treasurer: Dr. Jacqueline Gambee
• CODS Continuing Education Chair: Dr. Michael Reynolds
• CODS Ambassador: Dr. Joselene Piedra & Dr. Bradley Field
• ODA Trustee: Dr. Shannon Woods
• ODA President: Dr. Amberena Fairlee

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• Please go to the ‘VOLUNTEER’ page on the menu bar for contact and additional information about the following Central Oregon organizations seeking dental volunteers:
  • Central Oregon Community College Friday Clinic
  • Central Oregon Community College Dental Assisting Program
  • Volunteers in Medicine
  • Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Van
  • Donated Dental Services (DDS) Program
  • Healthy Beginnings
  • Smile Central Oregon

SEEKING EMPLOYMENT

Dentist Available for Part-Time or Fill-In Work

Retired Central Oregon Dentist available for either part time or fill in / locum tenens work on an as needed basis. Please reach out to Dr. Tom Rheuben at trheuben@gmail.com. if needing some help.

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CLASSIFIED ADS

South Central Oregon Endodontic Practice

Well established endo practice with 2 equipped and 4 plumbed operatories situated in a nice strip mall with plentiful parking.  The office is located in the beautiful city of Klamath Falls with abundant sunshine and outdoor recreation.  Seller is retiring and willing to help with a short term transition.  Collections in 2023 were 550k with low expenses.  Tons of potential. Klamath Falls has a dental trade area of 70,000 with only 2 endodontists. Contact Adam at 541.520.5507 or adam@mydentalbroker.com.

FOR SALE- Two Schick Intraoral Sensor Starter Kits (size 1 and size 2):

Brand new and unopened (purchased in 2024) Dentsply Sirona Schick 33 Intraoral Sensors with updated 3.0 USB interface. Schick has had a recent price increase for these same sensors, but selling for the original purchase price: 

Schick 33 Size 2 Sensor Starter Kit 3.0 USB with 6ft cable : $6919

Schick Size 1 Sensor Starter Kit 3.0 USB with 6ft cable: $6679

If you are interested, please contact Brad Field at dr.field@littlebendsmiles.com.

 REGIONAL  CE  CALENDAR

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MORE    INFO

Searching for a Dental Hygienist?

You might want to email the High Desert Dental Hygienists’ Association (CODHAinfo@gmail.com) and tell them about your need. They are very helpful and have a great database of Central Oregon Dental Hygienists and may email information about your opening to their members.

Announcements, Articles or Classifieds for the Newsletter

Article submissions for the Central Oregon Dental Community are encouraged and welcomed.  You can email your content to Dr. Mehdi Salari (bendsalari@gmail.com). The deadline to contribute articles or request the posting of information in the Newsletter is 5:00 pm PST on the second to last day of each month.  The Newsletter is typically sent out on the first or second day of each month. 

Advertising or Content for Future Newsletters

Please contact Dr. Mehdi Salari (bendsalari@gmail.com) if you would like to post a classified or advertisement in future issues of the Central Oregon Dental Newsletter.  The Central Oregon Dental Newsletter is available & sent to all practicing and retired Dentists, Specialists in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sisters, La Pine, Sunriver, Warm Springs & Powell Butte & Mitchell. The deadline to update or post an advertisement in the Newsletter is 5:00 pm PST on the second to last day of the each month.

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Everything above the Red Line is put together as a service to the Central Oregon Dental Community and is the nonpartisan news and events of this Newsletter.

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The Red Line

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The Red Line

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Everything below the Red Line is either for entertainment purposes or to stimulate conversation or debate. It’s personal, opinion based, has a conservative slant and is not meant to offend or upset … only to stimulate discussion or entertainment. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

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COMMENTARY

DISCLAIMER / WARNING: The opinions or comments expressed are NOT those of the Central Oregon Dental Society, Oregon Dental Association, American Dental Association or any of the Advertisers or Business Partners. Editorials or commentaries are OPINIONS ONLY and are simply meant to encourage discussion or dialogue. Readers are welcome and encouraged to contribute editorials or comments for possible inclusion in future issues.

Please Consider Contributing an Editorial or Column For Future Newsletters

This Newsletter is a forum for the Central Oregon Dental Community to stay in touch and connected and a place to have your voice heard. Your opinion columns, thoughts and feedback are encouraged and welcome.

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COMMENTARY has its own page.

Commentary content can be found at:

https://codentalnews.com/commentary/

or by clicking the COMMENTARY tab on the Home Page Menu bar

Dear Dr. Rupert

Dear Dr. Rupert’s monthly practice management advice column has its own page .

Dear Dr. Rupert can be found at:

https://codentalnews.com/dear-dr-rupert/

or by clicking the DEAR DR. RUPERT tab on the Home Page Menu bar