ADA Wins in 2026

• Advanced federal advocacy efforts by supporting the Improving Dental Administration Act, legislation that would preserve states' authority to enforce dental insurance reforms and patient protection laws. If enacted, the bill would ensure self-funded dental plans are subject to the same state regulations that protect patients, improve transparency and hold insurers accountable.
• Supported the PARTNERS Act, federal legislation designed to strengthen oversight and enforcement of Medicare Advantage supplemental dental benefits. The bill would empower state regulators to help enforce federal standards, improving accountability, network adequacy and patient protections while helping ensure dental benefits deliver meaningful access to care.
• Helped secure major tax wins for dentists in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including the full restoration of the pass-through entity tax deduction, a permanent 20 percent small business income deduction and restoration of 100 percent bonus depreciation. ADA advocacy helped preserve tax parity for dental practices and supported investments in technology, equipment and practice growth.
• Helped defend community water fluoridation by supporting the EPA's appeal and filed an amicus brief in a high-profile fluoride case. The U.S. Court of Appeals later overturned the lower court ruling, citing judicial overreach and returning the case for further review.
• Protected community water fluoridation in 15 states where legislation was introduced to limit or end fluoridation in 2026. None of these bills passed in 2026, preserving access to a safe, effective and evidence-based public health measure.
• Advanced efforts to improve access to care by supporting the bipartisan Action for Dental Health Act, legislation that would reauthorize federal grants for oral health education, disease prevention, workforce development and community-based dental services.

• Supported the passage of more than 30 new laws in 16 states advancing dental insurance reforms during the 2026 legislative sessions, helping build momentum for laws that strengthen patient protections and reduce administrative burdens on dental practices. Efforts focused on key issues including virtual credit card fees, network leasing, non-covered services and dental loss ratio policies.
• Urged Congress to advance dental insurance market reforms that improve transparency, accountability and competition. Ahead of congressional hearings with major insurers, the ADA advocated for stronger reporting requirements, greater oversight of ERISA-administered plans, fairer contracting practices and policies that help reduce barriers to care for patients.
• Advocated for dentists' payment choice by opposing Delta Dental of CA and Aetna's move to restrict payment options for providers and working with state dental societies to protect fair reimbursement practices.

• Supported bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Action for Dental Health Act, a workforce grant program that helps expand access to oral health care in underserved communities. The legislation would provide no less than $15 million annually to support disease prevention, oral health education, mobile dental services and other initiatives that connect patients with essential dental care.
• Partnered with Immersify to launch Foundations First, a mobile device-based, VR- and AI-powered training course for new dental assistants to prepare them for their first day with patients.
• Expanded the Workforce Ambassador program, which supports the collaboration between member dentists and state society leaders working to address dental workforce shortages, to include representatives from more than 20 states.
• Launched the Patient Service Coordinator Program, a 17-course e-learning program designed to teach dental team members clinical and administrative fundamentals that help them thrive from the start in a practice setting.
• Graduated the first cohort of the Oral Health Awareness training for Community Health Workers program, helping expand oral health education in communities by equipping medical and non-dental workers to recognize oral health concerns and guide individuals to appropriate dental care.

• Published the “Patient selection x-ray recommendations” guideline in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) in January 2026. This ADA/AAOMR guideline provided an update to the 2012 dental radiographic recommendations developed by the ADA and FDA related to indications and use of cone-beam computed tomography in dentistry. This guideline was a second part to the “Optimizing radiation safety in dentistry” guideline that was published in Feb. 2024.
• Developed an Association report titled “Shared decision making in oral health care for patients with prosthetic joint replacements” alongside a chairside tool to support decision-making for patients with joint replacements undergoing dental procedures. The report was published in JADA on April 15, 2026 and represents the first in a new category of publications known as Association Reports. Moving forward, the Council on Scientific Affairs will use this format to address emerging issues not immediately included by the guideline program.
• Released three sets of oral cancer clinical recommendations exploring cytology, vital staining and light-based adjuncts, along with an editorial, methods papers and systematic reviews available in JADA Evidence. Recommendations for salivary adjunct tests are scheduled for publication later in 2026. The program’s next focus area will address antibiotic prophylaxis for dental implant placement.
• Released updated guidelines on sedation and anesthesia use and teaching on April 20. Developed by experts from eight dental and medical organizations, and adopted by the ADA House of Delegates in Oct. 2025, the guidelines reflect current, evidence-informed national and educational standards designed to promote consistency, preparedness and patient safety across the dental profession.

• Reviewed and updated the ADA’s patient health history forms for adult and pediatric patients to include questions on GLP-1 medications and a mental health prompt question. For additional information, review this medical dental health history web page.
• Curated the ADA’s Dental Sound BitesTM Mental Health in Dentistry collection with over 650 downloads in May for Mental Health Awareness month.
• Expanded complimentary access to the anonymous, validated Dental Well-Being Index to every dentist, specialist, allied dental team member, student (dental and allied dental team member student) and state and local dental society staff.

• Announced the ADA 2026 Scientific Session, bringing together leading clinicians, researchers and industry experts for three days of evidence-based education and meaningful peer engagement. The program features expert-led presentations, hands-on workshops and panel discussions designed to strengthen clinical decision-making, improve patient care and provide practical insights dental professionals can apply immediately in practice.
• Developed more than 72 new courses and issued over 15,000 CE credits in 2026 with courses such as The Killer Smile: The Periodontal Systemic Connection, Dental Leadership: Mastering Difficult Conversations, Team Communication & Compliance and GLP-1 Therapies and Dentistry: Understanding Systemic and Oral Connections.
• Launched the first-ever hybrid conference: Mastering Forensic Odontology: Science, Practice and Application with the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners and the American Board of Forensic Odontology.

• Introduced CDT 2027, featuring an unprecedented 67 code changes, including 28 new codes. This enables dentists and team members to accurately document services, report procedures and get reimbursed. Changes include new and revised codes for direct resin-based composite crowns (anterior and posterior), removal of screw-retained implant restorations, placement of healing caps, repair or removal of fixed splints and implant-retained interim dentures.
• Awarded the ADA Seal of Acceptance to four new products in the first half of 2026, expanding the number of independently evaluated oral health products available to dental professionals and consumers.
• Expanded support for new dentists with the launch of the Early Career Dentist Success Hub, a curated collection of career and financial resources to help dentists tackle the top challenges they said they face early in their career.

• Added new and enhanced member-exclusive savings and solutions through ADA Member Advantage, including endorsed partnerships with Weave for patient communications and engagement; HP, Inc. for technology products; Propio for language interpretation and translation services and enhanced rental car discounts through Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty.
• Expanded member support with ADA Credit Union, delivering exclusive banking and lending solutions, alongside financial coaching and live financial education webinars designed to help dentists strengthen their financial well-being and achieve their personal and practice goals.
• Expanded access to affordable insurance solutions for future dentists through ADA Insurance, brokered by Alliant. More than 3,500 dental students enrolled in insurance offerings sponsored by the ADA and the American Student Dental Association, helping protect the next generation of dental professionals with coverage tailored to their needs as they begin their careers.

Download the ADA Wins in 2026 (PDF)

Look back at 2024 and 2025's accomplishments for even more wins:

Visit ADA Wins in 2025

Visit ADA Wins in 2024