District of Columbia Dental Society

The District of Columbia Dental Society (DCDS) is the premier professional association representing dentists in the Nation's Capital. In existence since 1866, DCDS is the American Dental Association (ADA) chapter for the District of Columbia.

Member benefits

• ADA tripartite membership — access to national resources, CE, and advocacy at the local, national, and federal levels
• Continuing education — Tooth Talks: The Mid-Atlantic Dental Meeting, monthly meetings, and an online CE tracking tool for members
• Career Center and a member directory
• DCDS Foundation — scholarship program and free public oral health education videos

Current advocacy

DCDS organized opposition to the Dental Specialties Licensure and Scope of Practice Amendment Act of 2023 (B25-0632), a bill that would have created a new DC specialist license; Mayor Bowser withdrew the bill on July 8, 2024 after DCDS submitted testimony and a member sign-on letter. DCDS continues to advocate for provisions it supports from that bill — clarifying that implant placement is within a dentist's scope of practice, and authorizing dentists to administer immunizations, Botox, other FDA-approved neurotoxins, and dermal fillers — along with a separate proposal to reduce the dental assistant registration fee to $100, repeal Level I dental assistant registration, and extend the supervised-practice letter from 90 to 120 days.