Dental Quality Measures

DQA measures address prevention and disease management to promote oral health for both children and adults.

Implementing the Latest Standards

Measures: Medicaid and Dental Plan Assessments

Please refer to the DQA User Guide before implementing these measures. All DQA measures undergo annual review. Please ensure you use the correct version for the measurement year.

Use “2027” version if you are using claims data from 2026. Use “2026” version if you are using claims data from 2025. To access older versions of DQA measures specification or for questions related to the versions, please contact the DQA Staff at dqa@ada.org.

“Dental” vs. “Oral Health” Services

For the purpose of measurement, based on definitions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: “Dental” services refer to services provided by or under the supervision of a dentist. “Oral health” services refer to services provided by other personnel e.g. pediatricians.

Refer to User Guides below for more detail.

User Guides

2027 DQA Adult Measures User Guide (PDF)

2027 DQA Pediatric Measures User Guide (PDF)

2027 DQA Special Populations User Guide (PDF)

2026 DQA Adult Measures User Guide (PDF)

2026 DQA Pediatric Measures User Guide (PDF)

2026 DQA Special Populations User Guide (PDF)

 

Measures

Adult

* 2027 measures will now require a completed form for access

Adults with Diabetes - Oral Evaluation

Ambulatory Care Sensitive Emergency Department Visits for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions in Adults (CMIT #1784)

Follow-Up after Emergency Department Visits for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions in Adults

Maintenance for Adults with Periodontitis

Practice Level Specifications

Non-Surgical Ongoing Periodontal Care for People with Periodontitis

Periodontal Evaluation in Adults with Periodontitis

Topical Fluoride for Adults at Elevated Caries Risk

Pediatric

*2027 measures will now require a completed form for access

Ambulatory Care Sensitive Emergency Department Visits for Dental Caries in Children

Follow-Up after Emergency Department Visits for Dental Caries in Children

Care Continuity

Program and Plan Level Specifications

Practice Level Specifications

Care Continuity: eMeasure

Oral Health Care Continuity for Children between 2-20 years - contact dqa@ada.org for info

Caries Risk Documentation

Comprehensive or Periodic Oral Evaluation Following a Problem-Focused Episodic Care Visit

Early Childhood Oral Evaluation by a Dental Provider Following a Medical Preventive Service Visit

Oral Evaluation (CMIT #897)

Per Member Per Month Cost of Clinical Services

Preventive Services for Children

Receipt of Sealants on First Permanent Molar (CMIT #830)

Program and Plan Level Specifications

Practice Level Specifications

Receipt of Sealants on Second Permanent Molar

Practice Level Specifications

Sealants: eMeasure

Oral Health Sealant for Children between 6-9 years - contact dqa@ada.org for info

Topical Fluoride for Children (CMIT #1672)

Program and Plan Level Specifications

Practice Level Specifications

Treatment Services

Usual Sources of Care

Utilization of Services

Pregnancy

*2027 measures will now require a completed form for access

Oral Evaluation During Pregnancy (CMIT #1783)

Utilization of Services During Pregnancy

 

Measure development

Practice- and clinician-level EDR starter set

The Practice- and Clinician-Level Electronic Dental Record (EDR) Starter Set includes draft measure specifications intended to support the future assessment of quality at the practice and clinician levels.

These measures have not yet undergone formal testing and should not be used for accountability, public reporting, payment, or performance comparison. The specifications are being released to support transparency, stakeholder review and technical evaluation.

The DQA will work with EDR vendors and other partners to assess the feasibility of implementing the measures within electronic systems, evaluate data availability and consistency, and test the reliability and validity of measure results. The specifications may be revised based on findings from this work.

Publication of the starter set does not constitute final endorsement for implementation. Additional testing and DQA review will be required before the measures are considered ready for broader use.

 

Care Continuity (PDF)

Maintenance for Adults with Periodontitis (PDF)

Sealant Receipt on Permanent 1st Molars (PDF)

Sealant Receipt on Permanent 2nd Molars (PDF)

Topical Fluoride for Children (PDF)

Practice- and clinician-based measure development reports

The Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) approved a resolution that a workgroup be formed to explore the development of practice- and clinician-level dental quality measures.  This workgroup reports to the DQA’s Measure Development and Maintenance Committee.  The series of reports below provide updates on workgroup activities and findings.

Report 1: Project Introduction, Delphi & Excluded Measure Concepts PDF (June 2023)

Report 2: Subsequent/Advanced Procedure Following Initial Procedure PDF (June 2024)

Report 3: Evaluation of Redos, Retreatments, and Recementations PDF (June 2024)

Report 4: Care Continuity for Children PDF (November 2024)

Report 5: Maintenance for Adults with Periodontitis PDF (November 2024)

Report 6: Topical Fluoride for Children PDF (June 2025)

Report 7: Sealant Receipt on Permanent 1st Molars PDF (June 2025)

Report 8: Sealant Receipt on Permanent 2nd Molars PDF (November 2025)

Practice and Clinician Level Measure Development Ad-Hoc Workgroup

  • Chair: An Nguyen DDS, Chief Dental Officer, Clinica Family Health
  • Dan Croley DMD, Vice President and Chief Dental Officer, for Delta Dental of California
  • Jim Crall DDS, Emeritus Professor, UCLA Pediatric Dentistry
  • Ramona English, Chief Dental Officer, Petaluma Health Center
  • Joel Knutson DDS, Deputy Director, IHS Division of Oral Health
  • Matthew Sinnott, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Contract Management, Willamette Dental Group
  • Sara Stuefen DDS, General Practice
  • Methodology Consultant: Jill Boylston Herndon PhD, Key Analytics & Consulting
Measure testing reports
Measure development process
Measures identified for future development