American Dental Association

American Dental Association
FoundedAugust 3, 1859; 165 years ago (1859-08-03)[1]
FounderWilliam Henry Atkinson
Founded atNiagara Falls, New York, U.S.[1]
TypeProfessional association
36-0724690[2]
Legal status501(c)(6) nonprofit organization[2]
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Location
  • United States
Membership
161,000
Linda J. Edgar[3]
Raymond A. Cohlmia[4]
SubsidiariesADA Foundation,
ADPAC Education Fund,
ADA Business Enterprises Inc,
American Dental Association Political Action Committee[2]
Revenue (2020)
$124,074,848[5]
Expenses (2020)$114,649,855[6]
Employees461[2] (in 2014)
Volunteers (2020)
325[2]
Websitewww.ada.org

The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago,[7] the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association. The organization lobbies on behalf of the American dental profession and provides dental accreditation.

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

As part of its lobbying efforts, the ADA has sought to restrict non-dentists (such as dental hygienists and dental therapists) from providing basic dental care.[8][9][10] The organization has played an important role in blocking the inclusion of dental coverage in Medicare.[11] The ADA has expressed opposition to the opening of new dental schools or to increasing the number of dentists in the United States, even as the United States trains almost half as many dental students (relative to population) in the 2000s as it did in the 1980s.[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference founded was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". American Dental Association. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "Linda J. Edgar, D.D.S., elected ADA president-elect". ADA. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Dr. George R. Shepley installed as ADA president". October 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "ADA 990 form 2020". 9 May 2013.
  6. ^ "ADA 990 form 2020". 9 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Contact Us." American Dental Association. Retrieved on December 23, 2011. "211 East Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL 60611-2678"
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b "Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth". New York Times. 2007.
  10. ^ Jordan, Mary (2023-04-08). "The unexpected political power of dentists". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  11. ^ "Five Decades Later, Medicare Might Cover Dental Care". New York Times. 2021.