Four Legislative Liaisons from across the country were presented with ASDA’s Legislative Liaison of the Year Award this week at ADA Dentist & Student Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.

Trevor Cubra was presented with the National Legislative Liaison of the Year Award. Here’s what they had to say about advocacy and why dental students should get involved.

Trevor Cubra, Ohio ’24 

2022-23 National LL of the Year

Photo by Max Taylor

“Advocacy is fundamental to the dental profession. A powerful mover of change, advocacy is a tool utilized and honed throughout a dental professional's career. Our patients’ best interests weigh on our mind every day. Our duty is to advocate for them and for our profession. The best way to do this is by getting involved as a dental student. Starting early provides steppingstones to grow and find mentors along the way to help coach the future of the profession. All of these efforts help further our profession and improve the quality and reach of dental care.”



From Indiana to Oklahoma, Minnesota to Los Angeles, and Howard to Virginia, chapters across the country hosted Give Kids a Smile and other free dental clinic days throughout February celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month. Here’s what a few ASDA leaders had to say:

“Mississippi is a very underserved state for dental health care, so this has a huge impact from people all throughout the state. We even had patients from Arkansas and Texas that came for mission week this year. The biggest impact was educating patients that have received little to no dental care in their lifetime about the importance of oral health and the effects it can have on their overall health. The event had an even bigger impact on me because of how grateful the majority of the patients were for the care they received. My biggest takeaway is that we have an important role as future dentists to inform our communities about oral health promotion.” – Nicklaus Blue, Mississippi ’24, ASDA president 

My big take away is that GKAS is about way more than just dental care. It is about providing smiles and having an impact on kids that could last a lifetime influencing them to become the become the next generation of dentists. – Grayson Lambert, Louisiana ’24 

I wanted to participate in GKAS because I have a passion for pediatrics and since COVID-19, there have been few opportunities to get true hands-on experience working with children in a setting such as this. I think the event made an impact on the community by showing that we are excited and hopeful for the future in a post-pandemic world. – Blaire Land, Louisiana ’24 



My biggest takeaway from this event is that there is so much need for dental care and education. I thought we were already doing a good job, but this event made me realize there is so much more to be done in order to reach the people that need help the most. – Kendall Block, Utah ’25 

Ohio: In January, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine signed a piece of legislation that would expand licensure reciprocity for dentists and dental hygienists. Under the new law, most state licensing authorities, including the Ohio State Dental Board, are required to issue a license to anyone who has held a license in good standing from another jurisdiction for at least one year. 

Washington: The Washington state Senate passed a bill that would allow accredited dental schools to request temporary licensure for new faculty moving into the state from other states. 

Virginia: The Virginia House of Representatives passed a bill that would create a workgroup to study issues related to licensure reciprocity for dentists and dental hygienists. If passed, the bill would require the workgroup to:

• Compare licensure requirements for dentists and dental hygienists in the Commonwealth with such requirements in other states and the District of Columbia.
• Analyze the number of licensed dentists in the Commonwealth relative to population growth and geography.
• Identify the risks and benefits to the public if a licensure by endorsement pathway were to exist in the Commonwealth.
• Identify any other licensure pathways that would serve the public good.