California Dental Association (CDA)

The California Dental Association (CDA), founded in 1870, is the largest constituent (state affiliate) of the American Dental Association, with roughly 27,000 member dentists organized into 32 local/component dental societies across the state. Its size gives it outsized weight within organized dentistry nationally and substantial influence in California health policy.

CDA's mission centers on supporting member success and advancing oral health for Californians through advocacy, continuing education, and practice resources. The association is well known for its subsidiaries — most notably The Dentists Insurance Company (TDIC) and CDA's holding company — which provide professional liability and other insurance and financial products to member dentists and contribute to CDA's financial strength. Peter DuBois has served as Executive Director since 2003 and also leads the holding-company/CEO functions; the presidency rotates annually, with Natasha Lee, DDS serving as the 2026 President.

CDA governs through a House of Delegates and a Board of Trustees drawn from its component societies, ensuring geographic and demographic representation across a state that spans dense urban metros (Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego) and large rural regions. The CDA Foundation, its charitable arm, runs access-to-care programs such as large-scale volunteer dental clinics.

Advocacy is a core function: CDA lobbies in Sacramento on Medi-Cal Dental (Denti-Cal) reimbursement and program structure, dental benefits reform, scope-of-practice issues, and licensure. Its scale lets it field a large lobbying and grassroots operation relative to most state dental associations.