American Dental Association

The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American advocacy group that promotes Oral Health Care and the field of dentistry. The ADA was established in 1859 and has more than 152,000 members. Based in Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association and promotes good oral health to the public while representing the dental profession.

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The ADA publishes a monthly journal of dental related articles named the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Overview

The ADA was founded August 1859, at Niagara Falls, New York, by twenty-six dentists who represented various dental societies in the United States. Today, the ADA has more than 152,000 members, 55 constituent (state-territorial) and 545 component (local) dental societies. 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 Paffenbarger Research Center (PRC), located on the campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is an agency of the American Dental Association Foundation (ADAF) and a Department of the Division of Science. PRC scientists conduct basic and applied studies in clinical research, dental chemistry, polymer chemistry and cariology. The ADA established rigorous guidelines for testing and advertising of dental products and the first ADA Seal of Acceptance was awarded in 1931. Today, about 350 manufacturers participate in the voluntary program and more than 1300 products have received the Seal of Acceptance. The Board of Trustees, the administrative body of the Association, is composed of the President, the President-elect, two Vice Presidents 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 460 delegates representing 53 constituent societies, five federal dental services and the American Student Dental Association. The House 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 special area of interest and to make recommendations on those matters to the Board of Trustees and the House of Delegates.

The Association's official publication is The Journal of the American Dental Association. Other publications include the ADA News and the ADA Guide to Dental Therapeutics.

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.

The ADA formally recognizes 9 specialty areas of dental practice: dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial radiology.

The ADA library has an extensive collection of dental literature with approximately 33,000 books and 17,500 bound journal volumes. The ADA library also subscribes to more than 600 journal titles.

The ADA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Association. The Foundation provides grants for dental research, education, scholarships, access to care and charitable assistance programs such as relief grants to dentists and their dependents who are unable to support themselves due to injury, a medical condition or advanced age; and grants to those who are victims of disasters.

Significant events

• 1840: First dental college, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery; American Society of Dental Surgeons is established.
• 1845: American Society of Dental Surgeons ask members to sign a mandatory pledge promising not to use amalgam fillings.
• 1856: American Society of Dental Surgeons, because of its stance against dental amalgam, is disbanded in 1856 due to loss of membership.
• 1859: Twenty-six dentists meet in Niagara Falls, New York to form a professional society.
• 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 National Dental Association is first published under the title, Bulletin of the National Dental Association
• 1922: NDA is renamed the American Dental Association (ADA).
• 1928: ADA affiliates with the NBS; National Board of Dental Examiners is established.
• 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.
• 1948: The National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) is established (since renamed the NIDCR (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)).
• 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, a501 (c)(3) non-profit organization for the purpose of engaging in dental health research and educational programs.
• 1970: ADA News is first published.
• 1978: Council on Dental Practice established.
• 1979: The Commission on Dental Accreditation established.
• 1987: ADA Commission on the Young Professional is formed (later becomes the Committee on the New Dentist).
• 1991: First woman ADA president, Dr. Geraldine Morrow.
• 1995: ADA Web site, ADA ONLINE, created (later becomes ADA.org)
• 2002: First minority ADA president, Dr. Eugene Sekiguchi.
• 2003: First “Give Kids a Smile” day held as part of National Children’s Dental Health Month.