ADA Wins in 2025

• Worked closely with stakeholders in conjunction with state dental societies to help advocates for fluoridation succeed in convincing most legislatures to reject proposals to end or limit community water fluoridation.
  • Advocated for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and seven other co-sponsors to develop and introduce the Protect our Treatment for Enamel, Erosion and Tooth Health Act (TEETH Act). The measure would require the EPA to commission an independent, rapid-response evidence review from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine before proposing updated fluoridation recommendations.
  • Stood up in support for fluoride supplements at the FDA’s public meeting organized by the Reagan Udall Foundation to defend fluoride access for children.
  • Filed an amicus brief in support of the EPA. The EPA disagrees with the court’s decision that water fluoridation may present an unreasonable public health risk and focuses on the clear legal errors the trial court made in reaching its decision, requiring reversal. The ADA and the EPA are urging the court to reverse the decision from September 2024.

• Released the 2025 Fluoridation Facts e-book, a free resource to help bring science-backed information into fluoride conversations. The e-book has been accessed more than 34,000 times.
• Provided information on ADA social channels about the safety and efficacy of fluoride — great for sharing with patients, the general public and even lawmakers. Like, love, share or DM us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube.

• Introduced or supported 18 bills at the federal level during the first half of 2025 to expand the oral health care workforce, enhance access to care and improve the dental insurance landscape.
• Helped ensure that ”The One Big Beautiful Bill” included tax wins for dental practices, including the full restoration of the pass-through entity tax deduction. Other favorable tax provisions for dental practices include a permanent 20 percent small business income deduction, a restoration of full bonus depreciation, new domestic research deductions and a 21 percent corporate tax rate.
• Sent a letter to Metlife seeking clarification of its practices, causing MetLife to change its recoupment policy.
• Supported state dental societies in successfully passing three new laws on dental loss ratio in 2025, bringing the number of states with recent enactments up to 13.

• Encouraged policy allowing for internationally trained dentists who pass the hygiene boards to be licensed as hygienists, with Massachusetts and Connecticut enacting such legislation.
• Authored the Dental Access Model Act at ALEC, leading to Arizona’s authorization of the training and practice of Oral Preventive Assistants and other states considering similar legislation based on the model act.
• Helped remove barriers for dentists in twelve states by supporting the enactment of legislation to participate in the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (DDH Compact), furthering license portability for dentists and hygienists.

• Introduced the new ADA Living Guideline Program. By proactively and continuously monitoring new evidence and data, individual guideline recommendations can be updated regularly.
• Received $10.99 million to advance oral health research, making the ADA Forsyth Institute the fourth-highest NIDCR-funded U.S. dental institution during the 2024 fiscal year.

• Offered free access to self-guided mental health resources with TalkSpace Go for members and dental students. For those looking for one-on-one mental health support, Talkspace Therapy, available to members and students at a discounted rate, connects members with a dedicated, licensed therapist. Talkspace Go and Talkspace Therapy are available to members through December 2025.
• Digitized our ADA Dentist Well-Being Programs Directory, making it easier than ever to find peer support and wellness resources to support dentists during times of need.
• Expanded free access to all dentists, students (dental and dental team member students) and dental team members to the anonymous, validated risk assessment invented by Mayo Clinic for healthcare professionals with the Well-Being Index.

• Introduced 29+ new CE courses, adding to a library of over 500 hours of courses. New CE explores topics including  infection control, fluoride, cannabis, coding oral cancer and endodontics.
• Launched the ADA CE  online course DEA MATE Act Opioid Prescriber Compliance Training (Self-Guided E-Learning Course) in July 2024. Just in 2025, the ADA has issued 15,323 CE credits for this course alone. Learn more at ADA.org/opioids.

• Introduced CDT 2026, featuring an unprecedented 60 changes, including 31 new codes, enabling dentists and staff to more accurately document and report procedures. Changes include new and revised codes for administration of anesthesia; collection, preparation and analysis of saliva testing; duplication of complete denture; testing for a cracked tooth; photobiomodulation therapy; scaling and debridement implant presence of peri-implantitis and more.
• Launched the ADA Delegated Credentialing Service in early 2025, powered by the LightSpun platform, to leverage artificial intelligence and automation technology. This helps solo, group practices and dental service organizations streamline back-office processes. The platform seamlessly integrates with CAQH®’s Provider Data to automate credentialing, provider data management and insurance application services. Learn more about credentialing at ADA.org/credentialing.

Look back at 2024's accomplishments for even more wins: