Episode 29 - The Drill, AUGUST 2026

Send us a review. **SUMMARY:** Ryan Dunn, CEO of the Virginia Dental Association, shares updates on VDA initiatives supporting professional development, practice success, and advocacy. - **Virginia Dental Showcase:** Sept. 18–19 at The Omni Homestead Resort, featuring networking, an exhibit hall, and 18 hours of CE covering finance, practice ownership, AI, caries/biofilm, wellness, and more. - **Practice Success:** Learn about CART (Confidential Assessment and Review of Treatment), a member benefit for confidential incident review and patient safety/quality assurance. He also highlights the Oct. 6 VDA–VCU Career Fair for practice recruitment. - **Advocacy:** New workforce laws expand duties for qualified dental assistants following required training. VDA is developing curriculum and raising awareness about hygiene workforce shortages. - **Medicaid Update:** The adult Medicaid dental spending cap remains unchanged for now. Provider input sessions are planned, and practices should wait for formal guidance before making changes. **HOST: Ryan Dunn** is the CEO of the Virginia Dental Association. Ryan has played major roles in four national and statewide Associations while also working on Capitol Hill. When he’s not talking all things dental, he’s talking about his family and baseball–and sometimes both at the same time. **MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:** 2026 Virginia Dental Showcase CART – Confidential Assessment and Review of Treatment VDA/VCU Career Fair Workforce Updates **EPISODE CREDITS:** **Producer:** Paul Logan **Host:** Ryan Dunn **Post-Production/Editor:** Shannon Jacobs Subscribe, share, and send your feedback and topic ideas to [thefulcrumpodcast@vadental.org](mailto:thefulcrumpodcast@vadental.org). *The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only, and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional, medical, or legal advice.*  *Music in this episode from Epidemic Sound*