Code Maintenance Committee approves changes to 2026 CDT Code

Actions address saliva testing, resin composites

Updates are coming to CDT codes related to saliva testing, resin-based composites and more in 2026 following a meeting by the Code Maintenance Committee on March 7 at ADA Headquarters in Chicago.

The committee voted to accept, revise or decline more than 50 proposed changes to the 2026 CDT Code.

One new code approved by the committee addresses point-of-care saliva testing. “Point-of-care” reflects the use of these tests both at dental offices and other care sites such as assisted living facilities.

“We’re very excited to see this code come to the committee,” said observer Sean Boynes, D.M.D., a member of the board of directors of Harmony Health Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on improving oral health care access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We’ve seen firsthand the benefits of this process as an enabling technology, and that includes our clients and partners in [states] where access issues for the population allow for this type of process to be a prevention-first mechanism.”

The committee also voted to amend two existing codes related to saliva testing. The changes reflect the use of those codes for laboratory-based saliva tests.

Another action taken by the committee included approving the deletion of the descriptor for Code D2391 resin-based composite — one surface, posterior that specified the status of the carious lesion being restored. The deletion will allow providers to use the code to report one-surface resin-based composite restorations regardless of lesion depth or diagnosis.

“The [council saw the need] to see the descriptor removed to make it consistent with all other restorative codes,” said Shelley Olson, D.D.S., a member of the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs, of which the Code Maintenance Committee is a standing committee. “There is no other code that tells the dentist at what level they must prepare a tooth.”

In a related action, the committee voted to remove Code D1352 preventive resin restoration in a moderate to high caries risk patient — permanent tooth from the CDT Code because that procedure could be accurately documented and reported using the updated Code D2391.

Following the meeting, the Council on Dental Benefit Programs will assign CDT numbers to each new code and ensure all other actions are reflected in the 2026 CDT Code book, which will be available this fall. All code changes approved at the meeting will be effective Jan. 1, 2026.

For more information about the Code Maintenance Committee and its processes, visit ADA.org/CDT.