The ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products (SCDP) develops national standards for nearly every tool used in dentistry including dental materials, equipment, instruments, oral hygiene products, CAD/CAM and more.
Over 300 volunteers from the profession, industry, academia, and government contribute their expertise to the development of ADA SCDP dental standards through a consensus-based process. All interested stakeholders are welcome and encouraged to participate in the SCDP which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an Accredited Standards Developer and operates under the principles of openness, balance, lack of dominance, due process, and consensus.
The scope of the SCDP is:
Nomenclature, standards and specifications for dental materials, except those recognized as drugs or dental radiographic film. Nomenclature, standards and specifications for dental instruments, equipment and accessories used in dental practice, dental technology and oral hygiene that are offered to the public or the profession. Orthodontic, prosthetic, and restorative appliances designed or developed by the dentist for an individual patient are excluded.
The SCDP consensus body is comprised of 34 voting and 1 liaison members who review and vote on every SCDP standard as well as other governance matters. The actual standards development occurs through volunteer involvement in its 65 topic specific working groups organized under the following 9 general subject subcommittees:
- Restorative and Orthodontic Materials
- Prosthodontic Materials
- Terminology
- Dental Instruments
- Infection Control
- Dental Equipment
- Dental Implants
- Oral Hygiene Products
- CAD/CAM in Dentistry
Reference materials and the link to join SCDP Working Groups follows. To learn more about joining as a member of the SCDP consensus body, contact standards@ada.org.
- ADA Standards Program Information - SCDP and SCDI (PDF)
- SCDP Working Group Structure (PDF)
- Access list of ADA SCDP dental products standards and technical reports. (NOTE: All technical reports are available for free to ADA members.)
- To purchase an ADA SCDP standard or technical report, visit the ADA Store.
Apply to join ADA Standards Committee on Dental Products Working Groups
Questions? Contact standards@ada.org or call 312.440.2506.