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American Dental Association

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American Dental Association
FoundedAugust 3, 1859; 165 years ago (1859-08-03)
FounderWilliam Henry Atkinson
Founded atNiagara Falls, New York, U.S.
TypeProfessional association
36-0724690[1]
Legal status501(c)(6) nonprofit organization[1]
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Location
  • United States
Membership159,000
President
Brett Kessler[2]
Executive director
Raymond Cohlmia[3]
SubsidiariesADA Foundation,

ADPAC Education Fund, ADA Business Enterprises Inc,

American Dental Association Political Action Committee[1]
Revenue$141,000,000[4]
Expenses$157,000,000[4]
Employees463[5] (2019)
Volunteers450[5] (2019)
Websitewww.ada.org

Established in 1859, the American Dental Association (ADA) is a professional association of dentists committed to the public's oral health, ethics, science and professional advancement. The Association has more than 159,000 active and retired members and is headquartered in downtown Chicago. The ADA aims to improve America’s oral health and the public’s health, advance the science of dentistry, and enhance the oral health care system. As a member-led organization, the ADA works to develop and promote member value and to foster a collaborative tripartite network of member dentists at the national, state and local levels.

The ADA publishes a monthly journal called the Journal of the American Dental Association(JADA), which features high-quality, original articles with the potential to transform dental, oral and craniofacial health and to provide a forum for discussion of issues in dentistry and health care. The Association also publishes JADA Foundational Science, a cross-disciplinary, open access journal publishing original research articles and reviews on a broad range of topics in dental, oral, and craniofacial health.

The ADA aims to provide leadership through initiatives in advocacy, education, research and the development of standards. As part of its lobbying efforts, the ADA has strongly supported funding for federal dental programs and agencies, including the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Oral Health.[6] As the nation’s leading advocate for oral health, the ADA works in collaboration with other dental organizations in the United States and globally, including the FDI World Dental Federation, the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research and the American Dental Education Association. The ADA has also advocated for continued support of the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Title VII general and pediatric dental residency programs.[6]

Overview

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The American Dental Association was organized at Niagara Falls, New York, on August 3, 1859, by twenty-six dentists who represented various dental societies in the United States.[7] It is the largest and oldest national dental association in the world.

The Association has more than 400 employees at its headquarters in Chicago and its office in Washington, D.C. The Association is structured in multiple organizational divisions addressing governance, education, dental practice, communications and other areas.

The ADA is also home to two institutes that conduct research in the oral health sciences and economic issues of relevance to policymakers. The ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI) is a trusted source of critical policy knowledge related to the U.S. dental care system, which conducts innovative research on key issues affecting the U.S. dental care system. HPI researchers provide data analysis focusing on the impact of health reform on the dental care sector, access to dental care for patient populations and dental practice economics.

The ADA Forsyth Institute (AFI), founded in 1910 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a leading oral health research institute that aims to carry scientific discovery from the research bench to the dental chair, helping dentists provide the best care to patients and the public.

In October 2023, the Forsyth Institute joined with the ADA to form ADA Forsyth, a 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to improving people’s oral and overall health and powering the profession of dentistry through cutting-edge basic research, creative translational science, innovative clinical technologies, and global public health outreach.[8] The ADA Forsyth research portfolio includes basic, translational, and clinical research, as well as active technology transfer and corporate collaboration efforts.

In 2008, the ADA established the Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) as an organization of stakeholders in oral healthcare delivery who collaborate to develop oral healthcare measures.[9] The DQA was formed by the ADA, upon request from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to establish an alliance with an authoritative leadership role in the development of quality measures. The mission of DQA is to advance performance measurement as a means to improve oral health, patient care, and safety through a consensus-building process.

Additional subsidiaries of the Association include the ADA Foundation, ADA Business Enterprises, Inc. (ADABEI) and the American Dental Political Action Committee (ADPAC).

Organizational structure

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The Board of Trustees, the administrative body of the Association, is composed of the president, the president-elect, two vice presidents, a representative from the New Dentist Committee and 17 trustees from each of the 17 trustee districts in the United States. The treasurer and executive director serve as ex officio members.

The House of Delegates, the legislative body of the Association, is composed of 473 delegates representing 53 constituent societies, five federal dental services and the American Student Dental Association. The House of Delegates meets once a year during the Association's annual session.

The Association's 11 councils serve as policy-recommending agencies. Each council is assigned to study issues relating to its specified areas of interest and to make recommendations on those matters to the Board of Trustees and the House of Delegates.

As noted earlier, the Association's official publications are the Journal of the American Dental Association and JADA Foundational Science. Both publications are editorially independent and the views presented in them should not be accepted as the views of the ADA, unless the Association has expressly adopted the material. Other publications developed by the ADA include ADA News and the ADA Dental Drug Handbook.

The Commission on Dental Accreditation, which operates under the auspices of the ADA, is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the national accrediting body for dental, advanced dental and allied dental education programs in the United States. It is also recognized by 47 individual states.

The ADA formally recognizes 12 specialty areas of dental practice: dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, dental anesthesiology, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral medicine and orofacial pain.[10]

The ADA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Association.

Seal of Acceptance

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The ADA established rigorous guidelines for testing and advertising of dental products,[11] and the first ADA Seal of Acceptance was awarded in 1931. Today, about 350 manufacturers participate in the voluntary program and more than 1,300 products have received the Seal of Acceptance.

Product manufacturers are charged $14,500 for each product the ADA evaluates. For products that are approved, manufacturers pay an annual fee of $3,500. According to the ADA, it does not make a profit from the program.[12]

Advocacy

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The ADA opposes the opening of new dental schools and increases in the number of dental students.[13] The organization has questioned federal data showing a dentist shortage in the United States.[14] In the 1980s, dental schools graduated nearly twice as many students relative to total population as they did in the 2000s.[13]

The ADA has a history of trying to restrict the kind of care that dental hygienists and dental therapists are allowed to provide.[15][13] In many states, dental hygienists are required to be closely supervised by dentists when they provide care.[16] In 1991, the Director of the ADA's Council on Dental Practice expressed opposition to permit dental hygienists to work unsupervised, arguing that this would harm patients and that dental hygienists "need the dentists to review their work."[16]

In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission proposed to create a category of mid-level practitioners (dental therapists) to provide some routine dental services, which "could benefit consumers by increasing choice, competition, and access to care, especially for the underserved."[17] The ADA lobbied against the proposal, arguing that the government should rather give more funding to dentists than allow "lesser trained" therapists to provide dental services.[17] The ADA spent millions of dollars to block legislative proposals in various states to permit dental therapists to provide services.[17] The ADA's own research has shown that when dentists work with dental therapists, the rate of untreated caries was lower than in dentist-only teams.[15]

The ADA has a long history of advocating against dental coverage under national health insurance plans. In 1965, the ADA lobbied against the inclusion of dental coverage in the original Medicare program.[18] In 2021, the ADA launched a well-funded lobbying effort against proposal to provide dental insurance coverage for all Medicare recipients.[19][20] The ADA stands in contrast to the National Dental Association, which has advocated for universal dental coverage for Medicare recipients.[20] In 2021, ADA president Cesar R. Sabates credited the exclusion of Medicare dental coverage in the Build Back Better Plan to the ADA's advocacy.[21]

Critics of the ADA argue that the organization undermines competition in dental services and makes dental care in the United States less affordable.[17][22] The ADA has also been described as an "old boys club" where licensed dentists, 70% of whom are male, restrict the kinds of services that dental hygienists (more than 95% of whom are female) can provide.[17]

Timeline

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  • 1859: Twenty-six dentists meet in Niagara Falls, New York, and form a professional society, named the American Dental Association.
  • 1860: First ADA constitution and bylaws are adopted.
  • 1897: ADA merges with the Southern Dental Association to form the National Dental Association (NDA).
  • 1908: NDA publishes the first patient dental education pamphlet.
  • 1913: NDA adopts a new constitution and bylaws, establishing the House of Delegates and Board of Trustees.
  • 1913: The Journal of the NDA is first published, under the title, Bulletin of the National Dental Association.
  • 1920: Maude Tanner becomes the first recorded female delegate to the NDA.[23]
  • 1921: During the annual meeting of the NDA, several female dentists meet in Milwaukee and form the Federation of American Women Dentists, now known as the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD).[24]
  • 1922: NDA is renamed the American Dental Association (ADA).
  • 1928: ADA affiliates with the National Bureau of Standards.
  • 1930: Council of Dental Therapeutics established to oversee the evaluation of dental products. The council establishes the ADA's Seal Program.
  • 1931: First ADA Seal of Approval awarded; ADA headquarters located on north side of Chicago.
  • 1936: ADA Council on Dental Education is formed.
  • 1950: ADA works with Congress to proclaim February 6 as National Children's Dental Health Day; ADA endorses fluoridation.
  • 1964: ADA produces the first color television Public Service Announcement by a non-profit health agency; ADA establishes the ADA Health Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for the purpose of engaging in dental health research and educational programs.
  • 1965: ADA changes its policies to urge the cessation of discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity or creed among its member groups and affiliates.[25]
  • 1970: ADA News is first published.
  • 1987: ADA Commission on the Young Professional is formed (later becomes the Committee on the New Dentist).
  • 1991: First female ADA president, Geraldine Morrow, is elected.[26]
  • 1995: ADA Web site, ADA ONLINE, created (later becomes ADA.org)
  • 2002: First Asian-American ADA president, Eugene Sekiguchi, is elected; he is Japanese-American.[27][28]
  • 2009: First female ADA executive director is chosen, Kathleen O'Loughlin.[29][30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". American Dental Association. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  2. ^ "Dr. Brett Kessler Installed as 161st President of the ADA". ADA. October 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Raymond Cohlmia, D.D.S. Named American Dental Association Executive Director". ADA. May 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "American Dental Association". ProPublica. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b "ADA 990 form 2019" (PDF). IRS. August 31, 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2025 – via Candid.
  6. ^ a b "ADA advocates for dental programs in appropriations request letter". ADA News. October 1, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Transactions of the American Dental Association, Proceedings of the Preliminary Meeting, held at Niagara Falls, August 4, 1859. Cincinnati: Wrightson & Co., Printers. 1860.
  8. ^ ADA Media Relations (October 26, 2023). "Announcing the ADA Forsyth Institute: A World-Class Organization for Oral Health Research and Innovation". Retrieved January 13, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Ojha D, Aravamudhan K (Apr 2016). "Leading the dental quality movement: a dental quality alliance perspective". Journal of the California Dental Association. 44 (4): 239–44.
  10. ^ "Recognized dental specialties". National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards. October 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "ADA Seal: General Criteria for Acceptance". www.ada.org. American Dental Association. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  12. ^ Jeff Donn (August 2, 2016). "Medical benefits of dental floss unproven". Associated Press. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c "Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth". New York Times. 2007.
  14. ^ "The Website Isn't the Only Problem with Obamacare". Governing. 2014-01-02.
  15. ^ a b Koppelman, Jane; Vitzthum, Kelly; Simon, Lisa (2016). "Expanding Where Dental Therapists Can Practice Could Increase Americans' Access To Cost-Efficient Care". Health Affairs. 35 (12): 2200–2206. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0844. ISSN 0278-2715. PMID 27920307.
  16. ^ a b Squires, Sally (1991-03-05). "Dentists vs. Dental Hygienists". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  17. ^ a b c d e Jordan, Mary (2023-04-08). "The unexpected political power of dentists". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  18. ^ "Five Decades Later, Medicare Might Cover Dental Care". New York Times. 2021.
  19. ^ Bykowicz, Julie (2021-09-27). "Dentists' Group Fights Plan to Cover Dental Benefits Under Medicare". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660.
  20. ^ a b "Getting dental coverage added to Medicare faces pushback from some dentists". NPR. 2021.
  21. ^ "Medicare Part B dental benefit not included in House passed legislation". www.ada.org. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  22. ^ Boehm, Eric (2017-07-07). "How Dentists Use Their Political Clout to Limit Competition". Reason.com.
  23. ^ Patricia Blanton (2006-11-01). "Women in Dentistry: Negotiating the Move to Leadership". Jdentaled.org. Archived from the original on 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  24. ^ unknown. "History of AAWD". American Association of Women Dentists. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  25. ^ Blackwell, James Edward (1987). Mainstreaming outsiders: the production of Black professionals (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 116. ISBN 0-930390-76-8.
  26. ^ "First female ADA president, Dr. Geraldine Morrow, is elected".
  27. ^ Sekiguchi, Eugene (2014-11-28). "It Depends on Where You Are". Discover Nikkei. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  28. ^ "A Personal Stake". 23 October 2002.
  29. ^ "Bio of Dr. Kathleen O'Loughlin, American Dental Association Executive Director". May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  30. ^ "Dr. Kathleen O'Loughlin Named American Dental Association Executive Director". American Dental Association. May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
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