Are Alabama Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — and Alabama's rule has an unusual feature that sets it apart from most states in this guide: the infection control rule cites its own enforcement mechanism directly. Alabama Admin…
Are Utah Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — but Utah takes a genuinely different regulatory path than most states in this guide to get there. Unlike states that name the CDC's infection control guidelines directly, Utah's dental…
The July 2026 issue of Dental Bytes is headlined by two cybersecurity stories that have significant implications for dental practices — a ransomware attack on a major dental referral firm and a $450,000 HHS OCR settlement for HIPAA security failures…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a $450,000 settlement with a health plan in June 2026 following an investigation into a ransomware attack. The case marks OCR’s 20th ransomware enforcement action…
July 28 is World Hepatitis Day, an annual global observance established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and accelerate progress toward its elimination as a public health threat. The date was chosen to mark…
A new national survey reveals a significant gap between how much Americans value their oral health and how much they understand the connection between their mouth and their body. The survey, conducted in partnership by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and…
The American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute (HPI) has introduced a new publication series called HPI Perspectives — short, data-driven articles designed to translate the latest dental workforce and practice research into accessible insights for dental professionals. For dental practices…
Many dental news outlets are reporting a significant cyberattack against 1-800-Dentist, a popular dental referral and marketing service used by dental practices across the United States. On June 28, 2026, the Qilin ransomware gang — a Russian-linked cybercriminal group —…
A recent settlement in May 2026 between the California Attorney General and Aspen Dental serves as a reminder that California is taking a closer look at how dental practices advertise their services. Additionally, the settlement is part of California’s broader…
Are Oregon Dental Offices Required to Perform Spore Testing? Yes — and Oregon is one of the few states in this guide that states the requirement in exact numeric terms rather than by CDC incorporation alone. Under OAR 818-012-0040(2), "heat…
