Protecting Smiles Statewide
Across Louisiana’s dental community, one organization stands as both advocate and backbone: the Louisiana Dental Association. With a history dating back to 1878, the LDA remains the largest statewide professional health association for dentists — representing nearly 1,900 dentists from all over the Pelican State. Under Executive Director Annette Droddy, the association has sharpened its focus on advocacy, resource support, continuing education, and community impact — ensuring dentists everywhere have what they need to serve patients, run efficient practices, and champion public-health interests.
Droddy has been at the helm since May 2020 — but her roots at the LDA go back further. She started as director of communications and public affairs in 2003, moved to assistant executive director in 2011, and rose to executive director when leadership needed both continuity and vision. That institutional memory — combined with her background in public relations and government affairs — gives her a unique ability to translate complex legislation and regulation into real-world resources for dentists. She even earned honorary fellowship in the International College of Dentists in 2022 for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under her guidance the LDA has recently scored a serious win for practitioners and patients alike. In 2024–2025, Louisiana passed landmark legislation requiring transparency from dental insurance companies — demanding they report their “dental loss ratio,” i.e. the percentage of premiums spent on patient care rather than overhead or administration. Droddy called the bill “milestone legislation … support[ing] our mission to protect Louisiana dentists and their patients.” For patients, the law means clearer, fairer insurance plans. For dentists, it means fewer surprises and stronger negotiating power.
That kind of advocacy is just one element of LDA membership. The association organizes regular statewide continuing-education events, sedation and radiographic courses, and an annual flagship conference — the New Orleans Dental Conference & LDA Annual Session — offering dentists the chance to stay current on techniques, regulations, and practice management. Beyond that, dentists can tap into Medicaid-provider support, peer-mentorship programs, public-health volunteer efforts (like the Louisiana Mission of Mercy clinics), and a wide network of colleagues across the state.
The LDA under Droddy doesn’t just protect dentists — it works to raise the standard of care for all Louisianans. In one visible example of that mission in action: when the state’s dental school at LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry needed new dental chairs and equipment, the LDA mobilized. They helped secure funding — both state and federal — and in 2023 joined the school’s leadership to unveil brand-new chairs and workstations. That upgrade wasn’t glamor — it was a practical improvement that ensured dental students would train on professional-grade equipment, benefitting future generations of dentists and patients across the state.
“SB 463 is milestone legislation for the Louisiana Dental Association and supports our mission to protect Louisiana dentists and their patients,” Droddy said, summing up the kind of work that defines her leadership.
For dentists across Louisiana — from urban practices to rural offices — membership in the LDA under Annette Droddy’s leadership delivers more than just professional support. It brings advocacy that matters, resources that help, education that evolves, and a community committed to quality care and better oral health for all.