Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)

The mission of the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) is to serve the public by establishing, maintaining and applying standards that ensure the quality and continuous improvement of dental and dental-related education and reflect the evolving practice of dentistry. The Commission, 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.
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 would 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.
Accreditation News
- CODA Meeting Dates 2012
- CODA Winter Meeting
- Call for Review Committee Public Members
- Unofficial Report of Major Actions
- CODA Meeting Minutes
- Upcoming Site Visits
- CODA Communicator
CODA Meeting Dates 2012
| Winter 2012 | Summer 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Predoc RC | Jan 9 | July 16 |
| Postdoc RC | Jan 12-13 | July 19-20 |
| DA RC | Jan 10-11 | July 17-18 |
| DH RC | Jan 10-11 | July 17-18 |
| DLT RC | Jan 12 | July 19 |
| DPH RC | Jan 13 | July 20 |
| ENDO RC | Jan 9 | July 16 |
| OMP RC | Jan 12 | July 19 |
| OMR RC | Jan 9 | July 16 |
| OMS RC | Jan 10 | July 17 |
| ORTHO RC | Jan 13 | July 13 |
| PED RC | Jan 10 | July 17 |
| PERIO RC | Jan 12 | July 19 |
| PROS RC | Jan 11 | July 18 |
| Closed Session Commission | Feb 2 | August 9 |
| Open Session Commission | Feb 3 | August 10 |
CODA Winter Meeting
If you are interested in attending the open portion of the CODA meeting as a registered observer on Friday, February 3rd at the ADA Headquarters in Chicago, please send Paul (dohearty@ada.org) an email listing your name, the organization that you represent (if any) and an email of all participants.
If you would like the meeting information, but cannot attend, please send an email to Paul and he will ensure that you receive information from the meeting.
Call for Review Committee Public Members
The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) is calling for nominations of public members to fill vacancies on review committees. Public nominees should not have a formal or informal connection to dentistry, but should have an interest in or knowledge of health-related accreditation issues.
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.
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:
- 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:
- February 2011 Minutes (PDF)
- August 2010 Minutes(PDF)
- February 2010 Minutes (PDF)
- July 2009 Minutes (PDF)
Download Reports on Accreditation Status of Educational Programs
Upcoming Site Visits
The Commission’s 2011 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.
- 2012 Dental Education/Comprehensive Site Visits (PDF)
- 2013 Dental Education/Comprehensive Site Visits (PDF)
- 2012 Allied Dental Education Site Visits (PDF)
- 2012 Advanced 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.
- CODA Communicator Special Announcement (August 2011) (PDF)
- Winter 2011 (PDF)
- Summer 2010 (PDF)
- Fall 2009 (PDF)
- Spring 2009 (PDF)
- Fall 2008 (PDF)















