California Dental Association
Updated August 2026
Contact details and membership information for the professional dental association serving dentists in California.
Contact
- Website
- https://www.cda.org/
- Phone
- (800) 232-7645
The California Dental Association (CDA) is the statewide professional membership organization for California dentists and a constituent society of the American Dental Association. Founded on June 29, 1870 by 23 dentists, CDA is the largest state dental association affiliated with the ADA, with more than 27,000 members.
Member benefits
- Continuing education — live and on-demand CE, including the annual CDA Presents conference, to help members meet California CE requirements.
- Practice support — guidance on dental benefit plan disputes and audits, employment and HR issues, and regulatory compliance, run through CDA's Practice Support team (launched 2009).
- Advocacy — representation on state and federal legislation and regulation affecting California dentistry, including access-to-care and community water fluoridation efforts.
- Insurance — access to The Dentists Insurance Company (TDIC), founded in 1980 by a group of CDA members and now covering roughly 24,000 dentists nationwide.
The CDA Foundation, established in 2001, runs CDA Cares — free volunteer dental clinics serving underserved communities — along with student-debt relief and workforce-placement grants. CDA membership also includes a searchable Find a Dentist tool for the public and participation in local component and district dental societies across California.
Contact: 1201 K Street, 14th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 · (800) 232–7645 · cda.org.
Helpful Resources
California Board of Dentistry
Board contact information, licensing requirements, and complaint procedures.
Learn more →California license renewal
Renewal fees, deadlines, and what's required to keep a license active.
Learn more →License Requirements
See the exams, education, and application steps required to become a licensed dentist or dental hygienist in every state.
Learn more →CE Requirements
See how many continuing education hours are required to renew your license in each state, and which courses qualify.
Learn more →How to Verify a License
Verify a dentist's or hygienist's license status using each state board's official lookup tool.
Learn more →How to File a Complaint
Step-by-step guidance on filing a complaint against a dentist or hygienist with your state dental board.
Learn more →Disciplinary Actions
How state dental boards investigate and discipline dentists, and how to check a practitioner's public record.
Learn more →Dental Specialties
The 12 recognized dental specialties explained, from orthodontics to oral surgery, and how specialty licensing works.
Learn more →This page is your California association starting point
Membership and mediation details above cover what California Dental Association offers directly, but licensing, renewal, and complaints are handled by the Dental Board of California, not the association. Whether you're renewing a license or looking into a dentist's standing, the pages above get you there.