The Association for Dental Safety (ADS) holds its 2026 Annual Conference in Salt Lake City from May 27 to 29, bringing together infection prevention professionals and industry leaders for 2.5 days of evidence-based education on emerging safety threats. Canadian practices should pay close attention to the sessions on evolving sterilization standards and cross-contamination risks that directly affect compliance with Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) infection prevention and control (IPAC) protocols.
As of May 2026, dental infection prevention is no longer a static set of protocols posted in the sterilization room. New pathogen threats, evolving regulatory guidance, and the rapid adoption of digital workflows are forcing practices across Canada — particularly in the Greater Toronto Area — to rethink how they approach patient safety from the ground up. The ADS Annual Conference, the premier North American event dedicated exclusively to dental infection control and safety, arrives at exactly the right moment.
What Is the ADS Annual Conference?
The Association for Dental Safety (formerly the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention, or OSAP) has run this conference for decades. It is the only major dental event focused entirely on infection prevention, sterilization science, occupational safety, and regulatory compliance. The 2026 edition takes place at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, from May 27 through May 29.
This year's keynote, the Dr. John S. Zapp Global Lecture, features Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, CEO and president of VillageReach, speaking on "Oral Health Diplomacy — Who Speaks for Us?" The talk addresses systemic gaps in oral health advocacy at the global policy level, a topic with direct implications for how Canadian provincial regulators frame their own infection control mandates.
Key Themes Canadian Practices Should Watch
Evolving Sterilization Guidance
North American sterilization standards are shifting. The ADS conference traditionally previews guidance changes before they reach provincial regulators like the RCDSO and the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO). For Ontario practices, understanding where U.S. standards are heading provides a 12- to 18-month runway to prepare for similar changes domestically. Sessions on biological indicator testing frequency, chemical indicator classification, and autoclave validation are particularly relevant for practices using older sterilization equipment.
Pro Tip: If your practice has not conducted a full IPAC audit in the past 12 months, use the ADS conference agenda as a checklist. Cross-reference each session topic against your current protocols to identify gaps before your next RCDSO inspection.
Aerosol Management and Respiratory Protection
Post-pandemic, the dental profession has settled into a new baseline for aerosol-generating procedure (AGP) management. However, the science continues to evolve. Sessions at ADS 2026 address updated evidence on high-volume evacuation (HVE) effectiveness, extraoral suction units, and the role of HEPA filtration in operatory air quality. For GTA practices operating in shared commercial spaces with limited ventilation infrastructure, these sessions offer practical solutions that go beyond wearing an N95.
Digital Workflow Contamination Risks
The rapid adoption of intraoral scanners, 3D printers, and AI-assisted diagnostic devices has introduced contamination vectors that traditional IPAC protocols were never designed to address. How do you disinfect an intraoral scanner tip between patients? What about the cables and docking stations? ADS 2026 includes sessions on integrating new digital devices into existing infection control workflows — a topic the RCDSO has flagged as an area of growing concern during practice inspections.
Pro Tip: Create a dedicated "digital device disinfection" section in your IPAC manual. List every piece of technology that enters the operatory or contacts the patient, and document the manufacturer-recommended disinfection protocol for each item.
Why This Matters for Canadian Dental Professionals
Canada's infection control framework operates independently from the U.S. system, but the science is shared. Health Canada's guidance on medical device reprocessing, the RCDSO's IPAC standards, and the Canadian Dental Association's (CDA) best practice guidelines all draw on the same evidence base that informs ADS programming. Attending the conference — or reviewing the on-demand recordings after the event — gives Canadian practitioners early access to the research that will eventually shape domestic policy.
The conference also provides context that purely Canadian events sometimes lack. The Ontario Dental Association's (ODA) Annual Spring Meeting, which wrapped up in Toronto earlier this month, covered IPAC in several sessions, but the ADS conference goes deeper. It is the only event where infection prevention is the entire agenda rather than a track alongside clinical CE and practice management.
On-Demand Access for Practices That Cannot Travel
ADS offers flexible participation options. Practices that cannot send team members to Salt Lake City can purchase on-demand recordings, making it possible for the entire team — from dentists to dental assistants — to review the content at their own pace. For GTA practices juggling tight schedules and staffing constraints, on-demand access is a practical alternative to in-person attendance.
Pro Tip: Assign one team member to watch the on-demand sessions and prepare a 15-minute summary for the next team meeting. This ensures the knowledge transfers to the entire practice without requiring everyone to carve out hours of CE time simultaneously.
What to Expect in the Coming Months
Infection prevention in dentistry is entering a period of accelerated change. New guidance on instrument reprocessing, updated respiratory protection standards, and the integration of digital devices into IPAC workflows will likely produce revised provincial standards in Ontario and other Canadian jurisdictions within the next 12 to 24 months. Practices that track these developments proactively will have a significant compliance advantage over those that wait for regulators to mandate changes.
The ADS conference serves as an early warning system. For Canadian dental professionals who take infection prevention seriously — and in 2026, that should be every practice — it is worth following closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the ADS Annual Conference and when does it take place in 2026?
The Association for Dental Safety (ADS) Annual Conference is the premier North American event dedicated to dental infection prevention and patient safety. The 2026 edition runs from May 27 to 29 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. It features 2.5 days of evidence-based education, including sessions on sterilization science, aerosol management, and emerging contamination risks from digital dental devices.
Q: How can Canadian dentists benefit from the ADS conference if they cannot attend in person?
ADS offers on-demand recordings of conference sessions, making it possible for Canadian dental professionals to access the content remotely. This is particularly useful for GTA practices with staffing constraints. The research and guidance previewed at ADS typically influences Canadian provincial infection control standards within 12 to 24 months, giving early viewers a compliance head start.
Q: Are dental infection control standards changing in Canada in 2026?
Yes. The RCDSO and other provincial regulators are actively reviewing infection prevention and control (IPAC) guidance, particularly around digital device disinfection, aerosol management, and sterilization monitoring. Practices in Ontario should conduct a full IPAC audit and cross-reference their protocols against the latest ADS conference topics and Health Canada guidance to stay ahead of anticipated regulatory updates.
EBIKO Dental will continue monitoring developments from the ADS 2026 Annual Conference and other infection prevention events to keep Canadian dental professionals informed.