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
- New and Revised Accreditation Standards
- Withdrawn/Discontinued Programs
- CODA Meeting Dates 2013
- Comments Due on Proposed Standards
- Call for Review Committee Nominations
- Unofficial Report of Major Actions
- CODA Meeting Minutes
- Accreditation Status of Education Programs
- Upcoming Site Visits
- CODA Communicator
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)
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.
Unofficial Report of Major Actions
Download CODA's report on actions:
- February 2013 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- August 2012 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- February 2012 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- August 2011 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- February 2011 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- August 2010 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- February 2010 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- July 2009 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- January 2009 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
- July 2008 Unofficial Report of Major Actions (PDF)
CODA Meeting Minutes
Download CODA meeting minutes:
- August 2012 Minutes (PDF)
- February 2012 Minutes (PDF)
- August 2011 Minutes (PDF)
- February 2011 Minutes (PDF)
- August 2010 Minutes(PDF)
- February 2010 Minutes (PDF)
- July 2009 Minutes (PDF)
Accreditation Status of Educational Programs
Download Reports on Accreditation Status of Educational Programs:
- Winter 2013 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Summer 2012 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Winter 2012 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Summer 2011 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Summer 2010 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Summer 2009 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Winter 2011 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Winter 2010 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
- Winter 2009 Accreditation Actions (PDF)
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.
- 2013 Dental Education/Comprehensive Site Visits (PDF)
- 2014 Dental Education/Comprehensive Site Visits (PDF)
- 2013 Allied Dental Education Site Visits (PDF)
- 2014 Allied Dental Education Site Visits (PDF)
- 2013 Advanced Dental Education Site Visits (PDF)
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.
- Winter 2013 (HTML)
- Spring 2012 (PDF)
- CODA Communicator Special Announcement (August 2011) (PDF)
- Winter 2011 (PDF)
- Summer 2010 (PDF)
- Fall 2009 (PDF)
- Spring 2009 (PDF)
- Fall 2008 (PDF)
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














