​Joining & Dues FAQ

The Missouri Dental Association is the voice of the profession. Dentists face many challenges from negotiating with insurance companies to complying with government regulators to keeping up with professional development and running a successful business. Membership in the MDA helps you navigate those challenges and gives you an opportunity to shape the practice of dentistry in Missouri. Membership benefits you in small ways, like calling the MDA office to ask staff a question about an issue you’re facing today—with your team, your patients or your business, and in large ways too, like knowing the Association works to protect the dental profession you care about. We want to invite you to join with your colleagues to help preserve the integrity of the dental profession and welcome you when you do.

The MDA is a state constituent of the American Dental Association. Thus, when you choose to join the ADA, you’re choosing to support best-in-class clinical excellence. You’re choosing access to exclusive resources to help you build your practice and simplify your finances. Most importantly, you’re choosing to join a collaborative community of dentists working to support each other, elevate the profession and improve the health of the public.​ Learn more in the ADA Member Center. 

The word “tripartite” means “composed of three parts.” The three parts of ADA membership—through your component (local) dental society, constituent (state and district or territory) dental society, and American Dental Association—complement each other. Each level offers valuable benefits and resources to members.

Almost all U.S. dentists are tripartite members and they join and maintain their memberships through their constituent dental society.

Membership year runs from January 1 to December 31.

You will need to transfer your membership to your new location. Please let both your original local and state societies know of your move, and then contact the local and state dental society at your new location. Your national ADA membership will continue, but please update your address, telephone, and email contact information in order to keep your publications and other member communications coming your way.

Either log in to your MyADA account and manually update your information through our streamlined interface, or contact the MDA at 800-688-1907 or info@modental.org to update your contact information.

Complete the Online Membership Application on the Join/Renew page.

Dues are established annually following the ADA and MDA House of Delegates meetings. The MDA offers reduced rates for graduate students, faculty, doctors new to or retiring from the practice of dentistry or and those experiencing temporary financial difficulties. An installment payment plan is available. Click to see specifics on dues rates.

Yes, when you become a member of the “tripartite” dental associations, you simultaneously become a member in your local society, the MDA and ADA. The MDA invoice includes dues for the MDA, as well as your local society and the ADA. The MDA forwards dues payment to the ADA and your society.

Visit the Join/Renew page for payment overview and summary of payment types/plans. For full terms/conditions click here. 

While membership in the MDA is ultimately about supporting and improving the profession of dentistry and the oral health of Missouri, our members find that the benefits far outweigh the cost of their dues, and some benefits would be impossible to obtain by any other means.

It would cost a great deal for individual dentists if the ADA was not there to protect the interests of dentistry at the national level or if the MDA was not there to lobby for or against legislation affecting the profession. If a dentist had to hire experts to answer every regulatory or human resources question or problem that arose, pay the full rate for CE courses, or research every compliance issue, the price would be significantly higher than the cost of membership.

Furthermore, participation in endorsed programs and services (especially Missouri Dental Insurance Services offerings and ADA Great West Life Insurance) can provide members with significant savings. Many members are able to recoup a good deal of their dues dollars through the savings they receive by simply participating in these programs.

For federal income taxes: Dues payments and contributions ARE NOT deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes to the extent that payments are not made to 501(c)(3) organizations. Under U.S. tax law, only that portion of an association member’s dues not attributable to lobbying activities is deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense. For 2023, 7.2% of ADA dues and 12% of MDA dues is allocable to lobbying activities and, therefore, nondeductible as a business expense. Donations to the MDA Foundation and MDA Dental Well Being Foundation, both 501(c)(3) organizations, ARE tax deductible as charitable contributions.

New dentists will receive discounts for two years after dental school. First year after school is free and the following year, the dues are discounted by 50%. If you have any questions about this change, please contact Stacey at the MDA. 

With the 2021 dues cycle, the ADA and Greater St. Louis Dental Society increased dues for the Active Life membership category. Beginning in 2022, MDA has increased its dues for this category (these members will pay full active dues). With the 2023 dues cycle, the remaining components have also increased its dues for this category. If you have any questions about this change, please contact Stacey at the MDA. 

There are two types of retirement categories: Retired and Retired Life. Please review the details for each category below:

Retired Membership
Available to member in good standing who has been an active member and is now a retired member, and is no longer earning an income from the performance of service as a member of the faculty of a dental school, as a dental administrator or consultant, or as a practitioner of any activity for which a license to practice dentistry or dental hygiene is required by the state. A retired waiver must be completed. See more on dues rates here.

Retired Life Membership
Available to a member who meets the above requirements for retired membership and who meets the requirements for life membership. Life membership is available to a member who has been a member for 30 consecutive years or 40 total years, and is a member in good standing. Life membership is effective the calendar year following the year in which these requirements are fulfilled. A retired wavier must be completed.

Magazines are not mailed to retired lifers. To receive the Focus subscription for the coming year, the cost is $25. You can call the MDA to purchase a subscription or note this request and pay on your dues statement.

A faculty wavier is available for dental faculty who are employed full time (32 hours per week). The waiver will allow the faculty member to pay 50% less than the active full dues at the state and local level. A faculty waiver must be completed.

There is a membership waiver available to a member in good standing whose circumstances have resulted in a significant financial hardship, including temporary or permanent disability, catastrophe, parental leave or medical illness (full/partial waiver). A waiver of membership dues must be completed, approval process starts at the local level then proceeds to state then onto the national level.

Access to your ADA Membership cards are only available online at ADA.org/MyADA and in the ADA App (no hard copy sent). You will receive a membership window decal in the mail.