About the ADTA
Our Mission
To ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality oral health care.
About ADTA
The American Dental Therapy Association (ADTA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Alaska in 2006 and the national professional association for dental therapists in the United States. We bring together dental therapists, students, educators, Tribal partners, employers, advocates, and supporters to advance oral health equity.
Too many people face barriers to oral health care because of cost, distance, discrimination, inaccessible services, and gaps in the workforce. Dental therapy addresses these barriers by expanding access to high-quality oral healthcare providers and creating opportunities for people from historically underserved communities to enter the workforce.
ADTA supports dental therapists and strengthens the systems that enable them to serve. We connect education, research, workforce resources, and advocacy with a shared purpose: improving access to care that responds to people’s needs, cultures, and lived experiences.
Dental therapists practice across Federal, Tribal and state systems through different education pathways and credentials. We respect these differences and work to ensure that community priorities and providers’ voices inform decisions about the profession.
Our History
Incorporated in Alaska in 2006, ADTA was volunteer-led from 2006 through 2022. Dental therapists and volunteer leaders dedicated their time and expertise to building a national professional community, creating a foundation for connection, education, and advocacy.
Today, ADTA is building on that foundation through Board leadership, staff management, continued volunteer service, and national partnerships to support a growing workforce and strengthen its capacity for lasting impact.
Our association’s story is part of a broader movement rooted in the foundational leadership of Alaska Native and other Tribal communities in bringing dental therapy to the United States. We honor that leadership and respect Tribal sovereignty. Minnesota educators, education programs, and dental therapists have also played a significant role in advancing dental therapy education, preparing providers, and strengthening the profession. We value these distinct contributions and the continued collaboration needed to expand equitable education pathways and community-centered care nationwide.
Our Work
- Strengthening an equitable workforce: Supporting accessible education pathways, equitable compensation, professional development, retention, and opportunities for people historically excluded from the health professions.
- Building an inclusive evidence base: Bringing research and workforce data together with provider and community experiences to understand barriers, inform decisions, and improve outcomes.
- Supporting community-centered implementation: Connecting partners with resources to develop dental therapy services that reflect local priorities and expand access for people underserved by existing systems.
- Creating space for collective leadership: Bringing people together through conferences, webinars, committees, and partnerships so those affected by decisions have opportunities to shape them.
- Sustaining the work of equity: Building the staffing, leadership, membership, and resources needed to support lasting change.
As we develop our long-term strategic direction, we are working to make equity a guiding consideration in whose voices are heard, how opportunities are created, and how success is measured.
Our Values
- Accessibility
- Collaboration
- Compassion
- Diversity
- Equity
- Inclusion
- Innovation
- Justice
- Respect
- Teamwork
Join the Movement
Oral health equity requires sustained investment in people, communities, and the systems that serve them. Your membership, volunteer service, partnership, or donation helps sustain ADTA’s education, workforce resources, student engagement, research, and advocacy.
Join us in building a future where every community has access to the oral health care it needs.
