Get involved

Help underserved patients close to home by giving your time and know-how.

Give Kids A Smile
Join 10,000 dentists annually bringing free oral care services to underserved children. More than 5.5 million children have received care since the program launched in 2003. Learn how you can donate your time and expertise.

Dental Lifeline Network
With 15,000 volunteer dentists and 3,700 volunteer laboratories, Dental Lifeline Network facilitates donated, comprehensive treatment to vulnerable people with disabilities, the elderly or the medically compromised. DLN seeks to reduce the more than 2 million U.S. emergency room visits attributed annually to neglected teeth, and has more than 11,000 people currently on a wait list. Learn how DLN can coordinate care so you can help someone near you.

Mission of Mercy
Missions of Mercy, through America's Dentists Care Foundation, are events coordinated at the local level to provide basic dental care such as fillings, extractions and cleanings, with some offering limited lab work.

Local Community Health Centers
Federally qualified health centers provide care, including oral health care, to individuals regardless of their inability to pay. Find a community health center near you.

Take your talent on the road. With basic equipment and instruments, you can help bring dental care to underserved countries, or teach international dental colleagues how to deliver care themselves.

Health Volunteers Oversea (HVO)
The HVO Oral Health Training Programs, which are sponsored by the ADA, improve the availability and quality of oral health care through the education, training, and professional development of the health workforce in resource-scarce countries.This builds a sustainable program that will benefit the population long after the volunteer has departed. Find more information about active HVO oral health programs here.

Visit the ADA international volunteer webpage to learn about how to participate on an international volunteer trip, search a database of volunteer organizations recruiting dental professional volunteers and view upcoming international volunteer opportunities by month.

Questions? Contact rowlandb@ada.org.

Your professional experience can contribute to the future of dentistry. Get involved by testing new products, guiding professional curriculum or developing your leadership skills.

ADA Leadership Institutes
Grow your leadership skills and gain leadership experience – all while strengthening your professional network. Every year, the Leadership Institutes accepts thirty-two U.S. dentists and eight U.S. dental students to participate in this unique program. See the upcoming deadlines and details. See the upcoming deadlines and details.

Interested in Getting Involved in Leadership?
The ADA wants to better understand and broaden the pool of dentists who may be interested in a leadership role at the ADA. This form also captures interest in other ways of volunteering - such as being featured in ADA publications or be considered for research projects. Diversifying leadership is one of the ADA's Diversity & Inclusion goals. New dentists*, dentists from diverse backgrounds, and non-owners are encouraged to submit their information. Complete our new Volunteer Interest form today!

*Dentists who graduated from dental school less than 10 years ago.

Standards Development
The ADA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop national standards for dentistry and provide the US position on international dental standards in ISO Technical Committee 106 on Dentistry.

Over 400 volunteers from the profession, academia, government and industry participate by providing their expertise. Participation in this program puts you on the leading edge of:

• Establishing how dental products and technologies are defined;
• Setting expectations on how certain products and technologies should perform; and
• Understanding the big picture of how these products and technologies work together.

As an ADA Standards Program volunteer, you have a voice in benefiting the entire dental community by setting the standards for dental materials, products and technologies, that improve the safety and health of both patients and professionals.

The impact of the voluntary dental standards produced by the ADA Standards Program is far reaching, and your participation is vital to ensure the needs of U.S. consumers and manufacturers are heard. In the U.S., the FDA relies on the standards from the ADA Standards Program to evaluate products to go to market and in many countries, ISO standards are adopted into regulation.

Apply to provide your input and help advance future standards.

New Dentist Now blog
Brought to you by the New Dentist Committee of the American Dental Association, New Dentist Now features resources for new dentists and dental students as well as news and insight on the dental profession and beyond.

Share your lessons, tips and advice for new dentists by becoming a contributor.