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Commission on Dental Accreditation  (CODA)

The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), established in 1975, is nationally recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) to accredit dental and dental-related education programs conducted at the post-secondary level. CODA's mission is to serve the oral health care needs of the public through the development and administration of standards that foster continuous quality improvement of dental and dental related educational programs. The general public and communities of interest have direct access to CODA's Meeting Agenda and Materials. Additionally, updated information about CODA's activities is available by reviewing information in the Accreditation News below. 

Accreditation News

CODA Review Committee and Commission Meeting Dates 2013-2014

All meetings begin with a  breakfast at 8:00am and the actual meeting begins at 8:30am at the ADA Headquarters, 211 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60611.

Winter 2013 Summer 2013 Winter 2014   Summer 2014
Predoc RC Jan 7 July 8  Jan 6      July 7
Postdoc RC Jan 10-11 July 11-12  Jan 9-10  July 10-11
DA RC Jan 9-10 July 11-12  Jan 9-10  July 9-10
DH RC Jan 8-9 July 9-10  Jan 7-8  July 8-9
DLT RC Jan 11 July 8  Jan 6  July 7 
DPH RC Jan 11 July 12 Jan 10   July 11
ENDO RC Jan 7 July 8  Jan 6  July 7
OMP RC Jan 10 July 11  Jan 9  July 10
OMR RC Jan 7 July 8  Jan 6  July 7
OMS RC Jan 8 July 9  Jan 7  July 8
ORTHO RC Jan 11 July 12  Jan 10  July 11
PED RC Jan 8 July 9  Jan 7  July 8
PERIO RC Jan 10 July 11  Jan 9  July 10
PROS RC Jan 9 July 10  Jan 8  July 9
Closed Session Commission Jan 31 August 8  Jan 29*  July 31
Open Session Commission Feb 1 August 9  Jan 30*  Aug 1

* Meeting is Wednesday-Thursday

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Comments Due On Proposed Standards

You may submit written comments to CODA until the comment due date. Please submit comments to: Dr. Sherin Tooks, tookss@ada.org,  Commission on Dental Accreditation, 211East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

Comments due June 1, 2013:
II.  Proposed Accreditation Standards for Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (Appendix II) (PDF)
III. Proposed Accreditation Standards for Prosthodontics (Appendix III) (PDF)

Comments due July 1, 2013:
IV.  Proposed Accreditation Standards for Dental Laboratory Technology (Appendix IV) (PDF)

Comments due December 1, 2013:
V.   Proposed Accreditation Standards for Advanced Education in General Dentistry (Appendix V) (PDF)
VI.  Proposed Accreditation Standards for Advanced Education in General Practice Residency (Appendix VI) (PDF)
VII. Proposed Accreditation Standards for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Appendix VII) (PDF)
VIII. Proposed Accreditation Standards for Dental Therapy (Appendix VIII) (PDF)

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Call for Review Committee Nominations  

The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) needs nominations to fill upcoming vacancies on review committees. This call for nominations is for:

•     predoctoral educators
•     general dentist graduates of a GPR or AEGD program
•     dental laboratory technology educators
•     dental assisting educators and
•     public members on various committees and the Commission Board

Educator nominees must have prior or current experience as a Commission consultants/site visitor. This call for nominations is independent of the discipline-specific call.

In selecting appointees to the review committee and the Commission, CODA requests that strong consideration be given to assisting this agency to achieve diversity, including underrepresented groups, geographic diversity and varied clinical/educational philosophies.

Overview of Review Committee Responsibilities

Review committee members:

  • Will be responsible for the review of all policy matters, site visit reports, progress reports, applications for accreditation and special reports on accredited programs, which is submitted to the Commission for final action.
  • Will be required to make a significant time commitment.
  • Will serve as consultants to the Commission and are required to complete the Web-based Site Visitor Training prior to serving on the committee. The self-paced instructional manual on the Commission’s policies, procedures and Standards takes approximately 6 to 8 hours to complete.
  • Will be required to become familiar with the CODA Training Manual and participate in a full day of training at ADA headquarters. Review Committee members should observe at least one site visit within their first year of service on the Review Committee.
  • Will be expected to be accessible and able to communicate by fax, electronic mail and the Commission’s web-based communication tools.

If you or someone you know may be interested in volunteering for a review committee position, please contact CODA to request a nomination form. Review the nomination criteria and explanation of time commitment for additional information.    

For further questions, please don't hesitate to contact doheartyp@ada.org or 312-440-4653.  

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Unofficial Report of Major Actions 

Download CODA's report on actions:

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CODA Meeting Minutes

Download CODA meeting minutes: 

Accreditation Status of Educational Programs 

Download Reports on Accreditation Status of Educational Programs:  

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Upcoming Site Visits    

The Commission’s 2013/2014 site visit schedules for allied, advanced and dental education programs can be downloaded below. The United States Department of Education (USDE) procedures require accrediting agencies to provide an opportunity for third-party comment, with respect to institutions or programs scheduled for review. All comments must relate to accreditation standards for the discipline and/or accreditation policies.

Comments should be submitted to: Third Party Comments, Commission on Dental Accreditation, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL., 60611; or faxed to 312-440-2915. View the entire policy on Third Party Comments in the Evaluation Policies & Procedures manual.           

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CODA Communicator   

The CODA Communicator, which can be downloaded below, is an electronic newsletter that is emailed in the spring and fall. It is one of several endeavors CODA has undertaken to improve communication with members and communities of interest. If you have not received an issue of the CODA Communicator, please contact Mr. Paul Dohearty, doheartyp@ada.org, and he will add your email address for the next issue.

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Commission on Dental Accreditation

The Commission functions independently and autonomously in matters of developing and approving accreditation standards, making accreditation decisions on educational programs and developing and approving procedures that are used in the accreditation process. It is structured to include an appropriate representation of the communities of interest.

Activities for the Commission include:

  • formulating and approving accreditation standards by which programs are evaluated
  • establishing policies and procedures for conducting the accreditation program
  • determining and publicizing program accreditation status and
  • appointing consultants and site visitors to assist in accreditation activities

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