As a longtime member and now President of the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA), I can attest to the many benefits CDHA provides its members. From continuing education to policy change, from peer networking to promoting scientific and technological breakthroughs, and from elevating our unique role in the broader healthcare ecosystem to helping members navigate their careers, CDHA offers members immeasurable advantages.
I’m living proof of that promise and invite you to discover how membership can directly benefit you and your career aspirations.
11 years into my career, I attended a continuing education course that changed my dental hygiene professional life forever. The course focused on treating developmentally delayed adults and children with the use of a dental coordinator whose role is to advocate, collaborate, and treat these special patients in an appropriate dental setting. That experience launched my career as one of California’s first-ever dental coordinators. A new commitment to serving the needs of this unique community started for me that day, and my career has grown exponentially more rewarding ever since.
It’s because CDHA fought for the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice Profession that I had the opportunity to become an RDHAP and to pursue my passion for access to care. As President of CDHA today, I am inspired by other dental hygienists who reach for new heights, and who are committed to strive for what they love and love what they do.
Your career journey may unfold differently than mine, but what’s certain is that yours will be better and more rewarding with CDHA by your side. As the state’s leading industry association, CDHA is there with you every step of the way and, together, we can deliver the oral health care that all those in our communities need and deserve.
Please join me and CDHA in our mission to advance the art and science of dental hygiene.

Darla Dale, BSDH, RDHAP
President