The Compliance Divas Podcast
Our podcast covers current topics such as infection prevention and control, OSHA and HIPAA compliance for dentistry. We discuss the latest regulatory information, answer frequently asked questions and give suggestions for dental practices to make compliance easy and sustainable. The Compliance Divas are a trusted source for consistent, accurate information based upon current guidelines, standards, science, and recommendations.
The Compliance Divas Podcast
#228 Connecting with Kevin Henry
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You may already know Kevin Henry, Founder of DA Nation, and Editor-in-Chief for Dr. Bicuspid, and dental assisting champion. The Divas had a sit down with Kevin to learn about the latest updates for dental assistants, the hub who keeps an office running smoothly. Listen in to hear what Kevin has to say.
Welcome. I'm Leslie Cannum. I'm Mary Gavoni. I'm Linda Harvey.
SPEAKER_03I'm Olivia Wan. And together we are the Compliance Divas. Welcome to the Compliance Divas podcast. I'm Mary Gavoni and I'll be the moderator for this episode. And we have a very, very special guest and friend to all of the Divas, Mr. Kevin Henry, who is well known in the dental industry as the founder of Dental Assistant Nation and the editor-in-chief of Dr. Bicuspid. And Kevin, if my memory serves me right, you were with us on our inaugural podcast five and a half years ago. So we love having you back with us because you've got your finger on the pulse of what's happening out there in the dental assisting world. And there's lots and lots of things to get to. So first of all, um give us just kind of a bird's eye view of what you see happening in dental assisting right now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's a lot of, I think we're at a crossroads of hope and frustration, as weird as that sounds. And, you know, what I hear from so many of them is that as we enter into 2026, as we we start a new year, there really is that hope that with the changing landscape of dentistry, with so much happening with AI, with so much happening with virtual front desk and dental practice, seeing how that impacts their staffing issues. As well as there's a number of reports out there, including one that I heard at the Dental Trade Alliance meeting back in November, about dentists are going to be paying 28% between now and the end of the decade more for their teams than they are right now. And that's just to keep them. That's not in terms of their health insurance, that's not in terms of anything else. It's salary, 28%. And a lot of dentists are very nervous about that. And a lot of dental assistants are going, maybe that's good for me. So there's hope out there that some of these salaries are going to go up, some of the respect is going to go up, some of the um understanding of how important they are is going to go up. But I think we've hoped that for a few years now. And I think that's where that other road goes down of frustration, is that I think even though there's a lot of change going on, it seems like it's focused on other members of the dental team and not necessarily the assistants. So I think there's cautious optimism, but also a reality that sets in about what 2026 could look like for assistance and really how much things are going to evolve on their side of the professional spectrum.
SPEAKER_03You know, I'm so glad you brought that point up about the 28% increase. I saw your social media post on that, and I just went, oh my goodness. Um, and and the sad part about that is that it's a scary, scary number for dentists when their overhead is already so high and their staffing costs are high. But the other side of that is I think they did it to themselves. They've historically not paid dental assistants well, they've resisted credentialing of dental assistants, and now they're having to pay some pretty high numbers in salaries to dental assistants that don't even have experience that come in and they still need to be trained in the office. So we've got to we've got to find a balance, and that's a tough thing to do, but find a balance between making there's some requirements and some standards. And I think the Dental Assisting National Board has done some great things in in that respect, and we're slowly getting there. And I totally agree with what you said. It's between hope and frustration that you know, we hope it gets better because it's not just about dental assistants wanting more money. Pay me, pay me, pay me just to make me stay. They want the recognition, they want the trust, they want the professionalism in order to stay. Otherwise, hygiene looks pretty good and dental school looks pretty good.
SPEAKER_00Well, and they can look around the practice and see the dentist who had the required schooling. They see the hygienist who had that and the respect that comes along with that. And again, let me make perfectly clear, it's well deserved. Okay. I am not saying it is not, but I think that we still have to get to a point with assistance where there is some kind of national level that they have to complete in order to be doing what they're doing. And I know in certain states, obviously they are much more, shall we say, strict on how much uh dental assistants need to learn, what they need to do, how they can impact the bottom line, uh, versus those other states that, you know, the the sad joke is whenever you can walk in and start the next day or start that afternoon, the respect isn't going to be there. And we have to elevate the profession so that at some point they still need that training before they walk in and can start doing anything with instruments or anything with a patient.
SPEAKER_03You're so right, Kevin. And back in 1992-ish, when I chaired the task force for the American Dental Assistance Association on mandating credentialing and education, our sort of tagline was, you know, you can't walk into a nail salon and have somebody, you know, do that manicure for you without having a license to do that. And I think that if the general public realized that these dental assistants don't have any standardized requirements and what they're doing can affect people's lives. That's that's just sort of scary. Leslie.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, in California, this year is the first year that the dental board has mandated that dental assistants who are unlicensed must take an eight-hour infection control course before they can even work in the clinical area. They can't be exposed to bloodborne pathogens. So that means, you know, no dental assisting, no turning over treatment rooms or disinfecting, no processing instruments, nothing in the clinical area. And now the regulation in California has been for 15 years that they need to have an eight-hour infection control course, but it had to be something where it was achieved within one year of employment. So now dentists are stymied a little bit to get somebody who has no experience in their office without putting them through this program. So an entry-level dental assisting, we do have something, and we're moving in the direction in California of patient protection, like you said, with the manicurist that has to have a license. So these unlicensed dental assistants, albeit it's only eight hours, so you can't teach a lot in eight hours, but uh one part of the component is that least currently is that it is required to be four hours hands-on. So you can determine a little bit about whether a dental assistant has got the basic concepts of infection control and patient safety and their own safety, as OSHA requires that everybody have bloodborne pathogen training before they're exposed to bloodborne pathogens or other hazards. Now, on the other end of the spectrum in California, we have the uh registered dental assistant in expanded functions. And this is a high-level assistant who can place amalgam and composite restorations, can cement permanent crowns and make take permanent impressions and master impressions, uh, you know, pack retraction court, things like that. And of course, with digital having more of the uh the digital impressions where they're they're getting uh more and more refined on those skills. So from start to finish with a crown prep, they're able to really do a great job. The only thing that's holding them back from really being able to do the entire procedure is is the uh local anesthetic and and the actual prepping. And just on top of that, the cherry on the top of the cake here is that uh in California, there is a some action that is being taken to try to get the um local anesthetic approved for the RDAEF function as being something that they can do. And and their position is that many times patients who are facing a workforce shortage as well because they're having to wait longer for appointments or at their emergency visits having to wait longer to be seen are in pain. And so sometimes that can be alleviated by having a RDAEF who can uh anesthetize them.
SPEAKER_00And and to me, I I think whenever we look at everything that's going on in California, and and I I keep very close tabs on CDAA and everything, the great stuff that they're doing in California to raise up dental assistance. I think that it sets the bar for a lot of other states that aren't there yet. And and you know, Leslie, you hit on the infection control required training. You know, I think if we all take off our Diva hat or DA Nation hat or whatever it is, I want to know that I'm safe whenever I go into the dental practice. You know, I have I have my uh six-month appointment here coming up shortly, and I want to make sure that that dental assistant, if I don't recognize her, that I know I'm going to be safe in there or my mom's gonna be safe, my daughter, whoever it is. I think that that's really important. And at least we have to level up on the infection control side of things. We at least have to make sure that every dental assistant doesn't have questions that they're getting the answers to on Facebook, that they actually have some kind of knowledge and know where it to go if they have a question to ADS, to the Divas, to you know, to other reputable sources rather than asking the other dental assistant in the practice who may have gotten his or her information off social media. Uh, you know, that that's my my wish, honestly, is that we stopped having so much misinformation out there whenever it came to infection control and prevention, and much more of dental practices embracing ADS, dental practices embracing having a standardized way of doing things rather than the way that Melissa did it before she left.
SPEAKER_03From your lips to God's ears, Kevin. And Linda has some questions about what is the role of AI? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And before we transition there, that's exactly where I do want to talk about some of those things. I want to echo what you all are saying about um educating all members of the team and particularly the dental assistants, because uh where Leslie is in California is so vastly opposite where I am in Florida. Where I am here, even the certified dental assistant credential is not from Danby, the Dell Assisting National Board, which is a recognized quality-driven course, is not recognized in my state. They still have to go to a Florida board-approved or CODA course, you know, council. And and at least to get them started with the training, whatever that might look like in each practice, they do need training before they start. And they need training in the very in the very beginning, such as like with a preceptorship or something where someone's following them around and working with them, an experienced credential dental assistant. And I like how you mentioned ADS Kevin, you know, the Association of Dental Safety. We've all been longtime members and supporters of that and recommend it to all of our clients. And um, so what I'd like to do is kind of transition now into the hope for dental assistants with AI and and maybe even if time permits, total body wellness. When we think about what's happening in the different operatories in dental practice, and total body wellness tends to fall more to a hygiene function and a doctor function, but certainly there's a role for the dental assistant on those two areas. So could you just talk about those and what you're seeing?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think for years we've seen that the dental assistant, you know, using my baseball terms, they're the closer, you know, uh so often. Uh, they are the ones that when Mrs. Jones needs a crown and the doctor leaves the room, Mrs. Jones is going to ask the opinion. Do I really need this? And AI has ramped up the quality of opportunities for dental assistants to say yes, and here's why. And so whenever I'm talking to dental assistants, I'm telling them, don't be afraid of AI, but embrace it. Embrace it as a friend, embrace it as a tool in your toolbox to really show Mrs. Jones why she needs that crown and that crack in that tooth. You know, and I think that whenever it comes to AI and saying, you know, this X-ray isn't right, it needs to be this, you know, and just making sure that some of the things that passed in previous years as, well, that's good enough. I think that it's not good enough anymore. It has to be a certain level for insurance, it has to be a certain level to show your patients what you need. And one thing that I'm I'm telling dental assistants, and I was so struck by this comment I heard. Uh so I went to Cologne, Germany for the international dental show back in March. Uh, Stanley Bergman, who just retired from Henry Schein, is their leader. One of the things that he said is we cannot let artificial intelligence become a crutch for dentistry. We can't let it do our job. It has to work with us, not us work for it. And I'm still struck by that to this day because I think we've got to make sure that these young dentists, these young dental assistants, you know, everybody's using AI in the practice, they don't just don't solely rely on it to tell them what to do or that they need to do this, that they actually are relying on the human side and the training side that they've got and using it as a tool rather than, shall we say, a leash that's kind of pulling them forward.
SPEAKER_02I like those analogies, Kevin, because I read in one of my medical journals probably a good three years ago now, an article written by several attorneys that that talked about the fact that AI cannot supplant the doctor's diagnosis. Your AI program on is it's not diagnosing anything for your patient. It's highlighting areas and it's a diagnostic tool and aid. And I think it's very important that all of our listeners really resonate with those points because when you bring it up on the x-ray, you've got the AI tool overload overlaying on your x-rays, and you've got dots and diamonds and whatever you see, that no member of the team should be saying to the patient, those are your cavities, because we we're not trained to make that diagnosis. We might have some ideas, especially after years of you know clinical training and experience, but we cannot take that. And even the doctor should not do that. It's up to their discretion and their differential diagnosis. So thank you for bringing that point forward. I think that's really important. I AI is definitely a tool to assist us, it should work for us.
SPEAKER_00And I'm excited to see where it goes. And I'm excited to see dental assistants get more education from the Pearls, the Overjets, whoever it is in the industry on how to use it. And I know that right now they're so focused on the doc because he or she's gonna make the decision to bring in the AI. But I'm always pushing for how are you training your team? And I again, it can't be reading the manual. It's got to be actually doing training just like it is software and fetched control, whatever it is, they've got to be hands-on and learning how to use it properly, or else AI is not going to give them the maximum benefit that it could.
SPEAKER_03Well, and Kevin, your wife Dana, can Dana Johnson, who is Dentrix Trainer Extraordinaire, can certainly attest to that that dentists historically have sort of cheaped out on the time that they need for training, and then they blame it on the software product. It doesn't work, and you have to train first in order to have a shorter learning curve, in order to be able to recoup your investment in those in those tools. So we need to change a lot of mindsets. And Leslie, I think you had a comment or a question.
SPEAKER_01Well, I want to give a little bit of a shout out for our legal eagle, uh Olivia, who could not be with us today. And and this diva is right on top of the illegalities and make sure that everybody understands that only the dentist can make the diagnosis and explain that to the patient. And while it may be tempting to take an AI tool and see the highlights or the diagnostic aids of it, of course, we don't want dental auxiliary team members to step in to try to step into that role of being the dentist or saying something. And I think again, with our newer workforce, it's very easy to bring up the AI tools and you know the generation are so savvy at that computer uh experience that they don't make that mistake. So I hope our listeners who are the newer listeners uh pay close attention to that.
SPEAKER_03But on the other hand, most people are visual learners. 70% of people are visual learners, and especially the younger folks. And so simply bringing that AI tool up on a screen and it showing highlighted areas on a radiograph or an intraoral image or something sets the stage for the doctor to come in and do the slam dunk. Here's what I see, and I use this special tool to help me see it even better. And then it's a visual. And I've always been a big proponent of sending those photographs to the patients, securely, of course, to be compliant with HIPAA, but sending them to the patients after their appointment as a reinforcement.
SPEAKER_00I completely agree. And I will say one thing that I've seen, and you all have seen this too, I'm sure. You know, way back when I started in dentistry, and my as my daughter likes to joke with me, that was last century, right? You know, she loves to say that. Um, but when I used to be with dental economics, we did the dental office of the year, and so often it was about the marble bathroom or it was about the exquisite operatory, you know, and all these different things that were more aesthetic. And now if a if a patient walks in and sees just that, they're going, Oh, so this is what you're spending your m my money on, you know. And I think now people are expecting to walk in and not only have technology at the highest level, but you know, Mary, as you said, people who are trained to tell me what that technology means. I can see a pink dot up there. Is that good or bad? You know, and I think that that's really important.
SPEAKER_03It is. It's it's so important. And and I remember, Kevin, you and I served on that committee for many years, judging those entrants. And there started to be a trend of incorporating technology into the treatment rooms. And so many of the entries that we saw incorporated or had it installed, or they would say on their their documentation, well, we are we've purchased, but we haven't started using yet this technology. That's not good enough anymore. It it is necessary to be state of the art. And if you're gonna hold your practice out as state of the art, then you better have the technology that you need to benefit the patient. And you better have your team trained. And who better than the dental assistants? Because there are more of them typically in the practice, and they spend probably more time with the patients that are having restorative treatment done, hygienists, obviously, in preventive care, but the dental assistants play such a pivotal role, as we all know.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03Linda, um, Leslie, any additional thoughts here?
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, yes, I I actually I wanted to just ask Kevin a few questions about the program that he provided for the California Dental Assistants Association on leadership skills for dental assistance. And I thought this uh conversation about AI and setting up the dentist for success is a great segue into that as we learn more about how to grasp AI and how to understand a little bit more about how we can get the information to at least set the stage for the dentist to provide that treatment plan to the patient, as well as setting us up for using Association for Dental Safety's Ask ADS for questions that we may have surrounding infection control or safety. But um, I really see dental assistants who are coming into this 28% increase. I'm so excited about that. Uh, how can they be better leaders in their practice? And Kevin, just give us your thoughts on leadership skills.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and and a lot of times I tell dental assistants they're going to have to be self-starters in a lot of ways. Because one of the things that I think we're still overcoming in dentistry is the dental assistants and anybody in the practice. Okay, let me make that clear. I always say anybody in the practice can be a leader. And each person in the practice has different tasks that they are the lead on, and they have to be able to push those forward. And so often, dental assistance, infection control is one of those areas. So to be the leader and to say, good enough isn't good enough. Is a really important thing. So the program that I did for California, and shout out to Sherry Becker, Claudia Paul, all the amazing uh folks out there who are helping dental assistants in California, is to really expand that leadership view for dental assistance and to have them understand that they can't sit back and be always told what to do. They have to be self-starters. They have to be motivated and they have to be able to show that they actually care enough to take that next step. It's not just a job, it's not just clocking in and hoping that you're done on 4:30 or whatever time to go home. It's to make sure that everything is done, not just to check the box, but at the highest level possible. And I know that there are a lot of dental assistants out there that say, well, I'm micromanaged. Well, you know, I'm not respected. Why would I do that? And I think we've got to flip that and say, why wouldn't you do that? If I'm walking into your practice as a patient, I want to know that not only are you engaged, but also that you care. And I think that that's what we've got to get past in so many areas in dental assisting is that they've been seen for so long as a cog in the wheel rather than the one that makes the wheel turn. And I think that that's what dental assistants have to understand is that not only are you valuable to the practice, but without that, you there and without you operating at your highest level, that practice as a business can never reach the levels that it can. And your patients, as customers, can never be treated as well as they should be.
SPEAKER_01You know, Kevin, that is so true. I have to say, as a patient myself, I had some pretty extensive restorative work done. I had some veneers done. I wish I had done it uh 20 years ago, but I have to say that the dental assistant who worked with the dentist was a partner, a true partner. He asked her her opinion on certain shades. He asked a little bit about how does this length look? You know, then they asked Leslie. You know, Leslie said pearly whites, right? Anyone's shade. But but uh I felt like the two of them worked as two professionals over my mouth. Everything that was happening, they were in concert with each other. And and not only did did she perform at her highest level and and had incredible responses to him, but but he treated her just like another team player, not not at any lower, but and the same level, the same ball field. And uh as a patient, I went, wow, you know, I have two people taking great care of me. I was nervous, frankly. I these are my front teeth, the ones I was born with, and I didn't want any mistakes. And I think that patients will have that same perception if they see the leadership role occur in play in their treatment. And, you know, I just want to, if I could, give a little quick plate uh plug to the uh California Dental Assistance Association on that uh that program. It's actually on their website. So someone that wanted to listen to the leadership skills and hear the Kevin Henry talk about how to become a great leader, uh they can go right to cdaweb.org and listen to your uh your course on that.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you, first of all. And and the fun thing about that course, to be honest with you, was it was interactive. And and I that's the part that I love is whenever we can pull dental assistance together. Hey, nobody wants to hear me talk for three hours or whatever, you know, however long that I'm on the dais or the lecture. And that's why I always in my lectures I make sure that they're talking to each other, learning from each other, because they're the ones in the trenches with the great tips, the great, great ideas, this problems that they've already solved, and helping other dental assistants solve those as well. So to me, it really is about how do they learn from each other and and things like we did with CDAA, wherever they're actually hearing each other talk and they're hearing each other's victories. I think that that's a really important thing for dental assistants and where we're heading.
SPEAKER_03That really is very important, Kevin. And um, you and I have a unique opportunity coming up at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, um, a day dedicated to dental assistance and five speakers and five different topics. And I'm hoping we're gonna have that kind of interaction as well. But one thing I just wanted to mention, it made me think, Leslie, when you were talking about how well your team, your restorative team, worked together. Dental students in the last probably 15 years or more in their training have very little interaction with dental assistants. They don't have somebody, they're they're working in isolation. So we'll see these doctors not necessarily valuing that partnership or that contribution that the dental assistant can make to their efficiency and their patient care and their overall experience because they don't know what they don't know. So it's up to the dental assistants to take the lead and teach them by example, have good, honest conversations with them about can we talk about how we could make this procedure more efficient? And I think in many cases, you'll find those doctors open to it, but they just don't know.
SPEAKER_00It's absolutely right. You know, and you know, it and it is that dance, and both partners have to be willing to do the steps necessary. And I think if dental assistants knew the power that they really have and dentists let them use that power, I I think it would be a game changer for so many praxes that are out there.
SPEAKER_03Agreed. Linda, how about some final thoughts from you?
SPEAKER_02Mary, I'm thinking of the whole leadership piece and loving what Kevin is saying, and I'm going to bring it to a baseball analogy.
SPEAKER_00Ooh, I like it already, Linda.
SPEAKER_02So I'm thinking of you, Kevin. So back in the early 1900s, there was a famous trio, and they um they won many, many games because of their double place. And I think that's the handoff, and using that analogy for the handoff. So we go from tinker to Everest to chance. And so it's it's handoff in the communication world in a dental practice where the dental assistant is empowered, she's got the knowledge and the education, the training behind her or him to be able to speak to the doctor and feel confident and asking for you know information and asking for let's talk about how we can make the procedure more efficient and just having those conversations that you're getting real and you're not pushing things under the rug, just doing the minimal to get by to keep up with because the schedule is busy. So I just love how you brought that to light, Kevin. Thank you so much for being with us today.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you for using a baseball analogy. I appreciate that always. And uh no, I I always love chatting with you all. I I appreciate what each of you do and the leaders that you are in the industry. And and you know, Mary, as you said in the intro, I I on my resume, it still says I was the first guest on your podcast, you know. So I'm I I always love chatting with you all. I love to be back, and and I will talk dental assisting anytime, so just let me know.
SPEAKER_03And you speak dental assisting so fluently. I love it. So thank you all for joining us for this episode. As the Compliance Divas, we bring clarity and simplicity to compliance by navigating the regulatory world to keep you on course. You can submit any questions regarding this episode to support at thecompliance divas.com by email. And please scroll down at the end of your podcast app and leave us some comments or feedback or give us a like or a rating. We appreciate that. And Kevin, again, thank you. You are always welcome with the Compliance Divas.
SPEAKER_00I appreciate that. Thanks so much.