Maine Dental Association (MDA)
Your guide to organized dentistry in Maine: membership, the annual meeting, local component societies, the state dental board, and CE/license-renewal requirements.
About the Maine Dental Association
The Maine Dental Association (MDA) is the ADA constituent (state-level) dental society for Maine, headquartered in Manchester, in the Augusta area. It serves as the unified voice for organized dentistry in the state, representing roughly three-quarters of Maine's practicing dentists. The MDA describes its focus as "Maine's dentists, oral health policy, and the citizens of our state."
For members, the MDA provides professional networking, member discounts, continuing education (delivered through its CE arm at medentalce.org), legislative and regulatory advocacy at the Maine State House, and member resources. The association is active in legislative testimony, regularly filing testimony with the Maine Legislature on dental and oral-health bills. It operates a tripartite membership model linked to the American Dental Association (ADA) and to local component societies, so a Maine dentist who joins typically belongs simultaneously to a local component society, the MDA, and the ADA.
The MDA is paired with the Maine Dental Association Charitable Foundation (a separate 501(c)(3); ProPublica EIN 27-1270353), which supports charitable and access-to-care oral health initiatives. The core association is also registered as a nonprofit (ProPublica EIN 16-0019308).
Annual Meeting: MDA Annual Convention
June; rotates among Maine resort/coastal locations. The 2026 Annual Convention ("Restoration of the Mouth and Mind") is June 11-13, 2026 at the Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina in Bar Harbor, Maine.
The convention is co-produced by the Maine Dental Association, the Maine Dental Hygienists' Association, and the Maine Orthodontic Association, and is billed as the must-attend annual event for Maine dental professionals. CE registration runs through medentalce.org.
Component & Local Dental Societies
Joining the MDA typically also enrolls a dentist in their local component society.Maine has 10 component societies:
Androscoggin Valley Dental Society (AVDS)
Lewiston/Auburn area
Aroostook County Dental Society (ACDS)
far northern Maine
Greater Portland Dental Society (GPDS)
Portland metro
Hancock County Dental Society (HCDS)
Ellsworth/Bar Harbor area
Kennebec Valley Dental Society (KVDS)
Augusta/Waterville area
Merrymeeting Bay Dental Society (MMBDS)
Brunswick/Bath area
Mid-Coast Dental Society (MCDS)
midcoast region
Penobscot Valley Dental Society (PVDS)
Bangor area
Washington County Dental Society (WCDS)
Down East
York County Dental Society (YCDS)
southern Maine
Licensing Board
Maine Board of Dental Practice
The board licenses and regulates dentists — distinct from the MDA, which is a voluntary membership and advocacy body.
www.maine.gov/dentalCE & License Renewal
- Hours: 40 hours
- Cycle: Biennial (2-year)
- Mandatory topics: Current CPR/BLS certification required. Specific CE content rules are set in Maine Board of Dental Practice Rule Chapter 13. First-time renewers complete one-half the required hours plus current BLS.
Always verify current requirements with the Maine Board of Dental Practice before renewal.
Dental Schools in Maine
Maine Dental Market Snapshot
- Small, predominantly rural state with a relatively low dentist-per-capita count; many practices are small independent or single-location offices rather than large DSOs.
- Major metros: Portland (largest), Lewiston-Auburn, Bangor, Augusta-Waterville. Significant rural/Down East and Aroostook regions with access-to-care challenges.
- Predominantly English-speaking; notable French-Canadian/Franco-American heritage in some communities, plus growing immigrant populations in Portland/Lewiston (Somali, Francophone African, and other communities) - relevant for multilingual front-desk needs.
AI Front Desk for Maine Practices
Maine's many small, owner-operated and rural dental practices often run lean front desks, making an AI dental receptionist valuable for after-hours call coverage, recall, and scheduling across geographically dispersed offices. Tying into the MDA component-society ecosystem (Greater Portland, Penobscot Valley, Kennebec Valley) provides natural local-SEO anchors. Multilingual support (including French) fits Portland/Lewiston demographics.
Maine Dental Association FAQ
How many CE hours do Maine dentists need to renew a license?
Maine dentists must complete 40 hours, biennial (2-year). Mandatory topics include Current CPR/BLS certification required. Specific CE content rules are set in Maine Board of Dental Practice Rule Chapter 13. First-time renewers complete one-half the required hours plus current BLS.. Always confirm current rules with the Maine Board of Dental Practice.
What is the difference between the MDA and the Maine Board of Dental Practice?
The Maine Dental Association is a voluntary membership and advocacy organization for dentists. The Maine Board of Dental Practice is the government body that licenses dentists and enforces regulations. Membership in the association is optional; licensure through the board is mandatory to practice.
Sources
- www.medental.org/ — MDA homepage: membership ("over 700"), 2026 convention, focus/mission, contact.
- www.medental.org/about-us/component-society-officers — list of Maine component societies.
- www.medentalce.org/annualconvention — Annual Convention (CE) details.
- www.maine.gov/dental/ — Maine Board of Dental Practice (licensing authority).
- www.maine.gov/dental/documents/Chapter13TransitionChart.pdf — CE requirements (Chapter 13).
- www.medental.org/continuing-education — MDA CE page.
- projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/16019308 — MDA nonprofit record (EIN 16-0019308).
- projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271270353 — MDA Charitable Foundation (EIN 27-1270353).
- www.une.edu/dentalmedicine — UNE College of Dental Medicine (only dental school in Maine).
- www.maine.gov/dental/licensure/license-types.html — Maine license types.
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