Dental Standards
Dental standards ensure that everyone is on the same page—those who design and manufacture dental products and the dentists who use them. Through comprehensive analysis, the ADA establishes baseline standards and technical recommendations for almost every tool of modern dentistry, from radiographic systems to sealants to manual toothbrushes.
Our mission is to ensure the highest level of patient safety and professional satisfaction through the publication of clear industry standards for both dental products and dental informatics. The ADA is the accredited dental standards body of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and also designated the official United States representative for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 106 Dentistry (TC 106).
Standards and Standards Administration
The ADA Standards Administration Department (DSA) manages two consensus bodies for standards development: the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics (SCDI) and the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products (SCDP). The ADA is also the sponsor and secretariat of the United States Technical Advisory Group to ISO Technical Committee 106 Dentistry (U.S. TAG for ISO/TC 106).
The ADA is an ANSI accredited standards developing organization. ADA standards have been approved as American National Standards by ANSI and thus they are designated as ANSI/ADA Standards. Further, ANSI is the U.S. member to ISO. The U.S. TAG for ISO/TC 106 determines the U.S. vote on all dental standards and provides this input to ANSI for ISO/TC 106.
Download information on dental standards development programs here:
The goal of the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics (SCDI) is to help dentists streamline and empower their practices through the use of information technology. The SCDI develops standards for choosing the hardware, software and digital imaging solutions to create a fully computerized practice.
For more information on SCDI, including membership application materials, please visit this page.
The ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics (SCDI) will hold its next meeting on Feb. 26-28, 2017 at ADA Headquarters in Chicago. Meeting registration and hotel details are available at this link.
Before you purchase new equipment, instruments or materials for your dental practice, consult the latest standards and reports issued by the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products (SCDP). Volunteers work to produce detailed standards for almost every professional and public oral health product. These standards help to ensure the health and safety of both the dental patient and dental professional by setting the requirements that will deliver consistent quality and effectiveness.
For more information on SCDP, including membership application materials, please visit this page.
The ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products (SCDP) and the U.S. TAG for ISO/TC 106 Dentistry Annual will hold their annual meeting on Mar. 20-22, 2017 in San Francisco. This meeting is held in the days prior to the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) / American Association for Dental Research (AADR) Meeting. Meeting registration and hotel details are available at this link.
With the expansion of the global market in dental products and supplies, it’s crucial to have reliable international standards that ensure compliance and safety across borders. The ADA is the voice of American dentistry around the world. All dentistry-related standards in ISO are handled through Technical Committee 106 Dentistry. ANSI has chosen the ADA to be the sponsor and secretariat of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (U.S. TAG), which is the American voting body for all international dental standards.
The U.S. TAG meets annually in conjunction with the SCDP (see meeting information in section above). ISO/TC 106 will hold its annual meeting in Hong Kong on Aug. 20-25, 2017. Attendees must be registered members of the U.S. TAG to attend the international meeting. For more information, please contact Kathy Medic at medick@ada.org or 312.440.2533.
For more information on the U.S. TAG, including membership application materials, please visit this page.
Purchase ANSI/ADA and ISO Standards
All ANSI/ADA Standards, Technical Reports and Technical Specifications for Dental Products and Informatics, along with all ISO dental standards are available online for purchase. Each standard is written by the dental profession for the dental profession and illustrates the ADA’s leadership in standards for safe and effective oral healthcare. All standards may be securely purchased and electronically downloaded for instant access or may be purchased in hard copy format and mailed. To view all of the standards available for purchase, visit the ADA Store.
John W. Stanford New Investigator Award for Standards-Related Research Paper
The John W. Stanford New Investigator Award was designed to encourage dentists and dental students to conduct standards-based research and standards development. Dental standards are developed by dental professionals to establish specific technical, performance and/or safety requirements for dental products.
Dental students and dentists who have earned their dental degree no earlier than 2012 and dentists pursuing an additional degree or specialty are eligible to apply for the John W. Stanford New Investigator Award. Permissible application submissions for the John W. Stanford Award include: (a) An original standards-related research report completed within the academic year 2016-2017 but not published; (b) A standards-related article published within the academic year 2016-2017; or (c) A standards-related extended abstract developed within the academic year 2016-2017. The abstract should include extended detail on methods and discussion sections. All submissions must include an explanation in 250 words or less of how the research incorporates current dental standards and/or contributes to the development of dental standards. Applications are due by October 1, 2017.
The awards committee and the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs will select the winner which will be announced in December. The winner will receive airfare and a two night hotel stay to present their award-winning paper at the ADA SCDP and U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 106 on Dentistry Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in March 2018. The winner will also be announced in the ADA’s member publication, ADA News and their paper will be eligible for publication.
Past Recipients of Stanford Award:
2013: Dr. Noor Obaisi, “Determination of the Transformation Temperature Ranges of Orthodontic Nickel-Titanium Archwires”
2014: Dr. Robert Yau, "Influence of Core/veneer Thickness Ratios on Failure of Bilayered Dental Ceramic Crown Systems"
2015: Dr. Nathaniel Lawson, "Depth of Cure of Bulk Fill Composites with Monowave and Polywave Curing Lights"
2016: Dr. Haitem Naas, "Effect of Surface Treatment on Porcelain Bond Strength to Titanium"
The namesake of this award, the late Dr. John W. Stanford, was a pivotal force in dental standards development for more than 40 years and was responsible for the establishment of the ADA’s current standards program.
Robert H. Ahlstrom New Investigator Award for Dental Informatics Research
The Robert H. Ahlstrom New Investigator Award was designed to encourage dentists and dental students to conduct standards-based research and standards development. The Award also highlights the crucial role dental informatics standards play in improving the quality of patient care, assuring patient health and safety, and increasing efficiency through the use of information technology such as interoperability of dental data and images across hardware platforms.
Dental students and dentists who have earned their dental degree no earlier than 2012 and dentists pursuing an additional degree or specialty are eligible to apply for the Robert H. Ahlstrom New Investigator Award. Permissible application submissions for the Robert H. Ahlstrom Award include: (a) an original standards-related research report completed within the academic year 2016-2017 but not published; (b) A standards-related article published within the academic year 2016-2017; or (c) A standards-related extended abstract developed within the academic year 2016-2017. The abstract should include extended detail on methods and discussion sections. All submissions must include an explanation in 250 words or less of how the research addresses some aspect of the utilization of informatics standards in research or development of dental software, dental digital imaging systems or the electronic dental record; or contributes to the development of dental informatics standards. Applications are due by July 15, 2017.
The awards committee and the ADA Council on Dental Practice will select the winner who will be notified in August 2017. The winner will receive airfare and a two night hotel stay to present their award-winning paper at the October 2017 ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics Meeting in Atlanta, GA. The winner will also be announced in the ADA’s member publication, ADA News, and their paper will be eligible for publication.
As the first chairman of the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics (SCDI), which was formed in 1999, Dr. Robert H. Ahlstrom brought together dental informatics experts from across the dental profession, representing dentists, government, academia, and industry. He led the group’s successful efforts to develop standards for information exchange, clinical informatics systems and knowledge management. Under his leadership, standards and technical reports were developed for the dental electronic health record, for digital dental radiology, including DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) imaging requirements for dentistry, and for the security and privacy of electronic dental patient data. Dr. Ahlstrom placed heavy emphasis on SCDI collaboration with other standards development organizations throughout his tenure. Through liaisons he was instrumental in establishing, Dr. Ahlstrom led the achievement of results such as specific criteria for the exchange of clinical dental data used in patient treatment throughout the health care system. Dr. Ahlstrom served as chairman of the SCDI until 2006.
Past Recipients of Ahlstrom Award:
2015: Dr. Emilia Taneva, "3D Evaluation of Palatal Rugae for Human Identification Using Digital Study Models"
2016: Mr. Corey Stein, "A Prototype Mobile Application for Triaging Dental Emergencies"
Questions?
You may contact us the following ways:
Email: standards@ada.org
Phone: 312.440.2506
Fax: 312.440.7461, Attn: Standards
Mail: Department of Standards Administration
American Dental Association
211 E. Chicago Ave., 18th floor
Chicago, IL 60611