ASTDD Partner Organizations

ASTDD collaborates with a number of national organizations to accomplish its mission and projects. We define partners as "public, private and nonprofit organizations and federal agencies with which ASTDD has a strategic alliance that enhances each group’s capacity to achieve a common purpose.” In many instances we combine resources to implement joint activities. In some cases, specific liaisons have been designated. Major partners are described below. ASTDD also interacts with a number of other organizations and government agencies on a sporadic basis. Many of these are listed in the A-Z section under Professional Associations or Government Agencies.

American Association for Community Dental Programs:

AACDP supports the efforts of those with an interest in serving the oral health needs of vulnerable populations at the community level. Members include agencies and staff of local and county health departments, non-profits and other community based organizations with an interest in oral health issues and access to care. AACDP publishes a newsletter and sponsors training seminars. Services to consumers include inquiry responses and reference information. http://www.aacdp.com/

American Association of Public Health Dentistry:

AAPHD provides a focus for meeting the challenge to improve oral health. Membership is open to all individuals concerned with improving the oral health of the public. AAPHD is committed to 1) Promotion of effective efforts in disease prevention, health promotion and service delivery; 2) Education of the public, health professionals and decision-makers regarding the importance of oral health to total well-being; and 3) Expansion of the knowledge base of dental public health and fostering competency in its practice. ASTDD partners with AAPHD to conduct the National Oral Health Conference. http://www.aaphd.org/.

American Dental Association:

The ADA is the world’s largest and oldest national dental association, representing about 152,000 member dentists. ADA is committed to the public's oral health, ethics, science and professional advancement; leading a unified profession through initiatives in advocacy, education, research and the development of standards. http://www.ada.org/.

American Dental Education Association:

ADEA is the leading national organization for dental education. Members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools, advanced dental education programs, hospital dental education programs, allied dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the improvement of the health of the public. http://www.adea.org/.

American Dental Hygienists’ Association:

ADHA is the leading national organization for the more than 120,000 registered dental hygienists (RDHs) in the United States. The mission of the American Dental Hygienists' Association is to advance the art and science of dental hygiene by ensuring access to quality oral health care, increasing awareness of the cost-effective benefits of prevention, promoting the highest standards of dental hygiene education, licensure, practice and research and representing and promoting the interests of dental hygienists. ADHA has a Public Health section on their website and a Council on Public Health. http://www.adha.org/.

American Public Health Association, Oral Health Section:

APHA is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world, representing more than 50,000 members from over 50 occupations of public health. Oral Health is one of the 24 Sections that APHA members can choose to join. The Oral Health Section's members seek to promote oral health to a larger, multidisciplinary audience, partner with other human service providers, integrate oral health with overall health, have input into environmental and health care delivery issues, and disseminate research findings to the largest possible audience. http://www.apha-oh.org/.

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs:

AMCHP is a national nonprofit organization principally made up of the directors and staff of state public health agency programs for maternal and child health, and children with special health care needs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and eight additional jurisdictions. In addition to state public health leaders, AMCHP members also include academic, advocacy and community-based maternal and child health professionals, as well as families. http://www.amchp.org/

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials:

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO's members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy, and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice. ASTDD is an affiliate of ASTHO. http://www.astho.org/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

CDC′s mission is to collaborate to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health – through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats. http://www.cdc.gov/

Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services:

Their mission is to ensure effective, up-to-date health care coverage and to promote quality care for beneficiaries. The CMS Strategic Action Plan objectives include: Skilled, committed, and highly-motivated workforce; Accurate and predictable payments; High-value health care; Confident, informed consumers; and Collaborative partnerships. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/

Children's Dental Health Project:

CDHP advances policies that improve children's access to oral health. The Children's Dental Health Project develops research-driven policies and innovative solutions by engaging a broad base of partners committed to children and oral health. CDHP publishes a variety of reports and issue briefs and serves as the HRSA, MCHB funded National Oral Health Policy Center. http://www.cdhp.org/

Chronic Disease Directors:

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (otherwise known as “NACDD”) is a national public health association, founded in 1988 to link the chronic disease program directors of each state and U.S. territory to provide a national forum for chronic disease prevention and control efforts. CDD works to reduce the impact of chronic diseases on the American population by advocating for preventative policies and programs, encouraging knowledge sharing and developing partnerships for health promotion. http://www.chronicdisease.org/

Health Resources and Services Administration:

HRSA is an Agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the principal Federal Agency charged with increasing access to health care for those who are medically underserved. HRSA’s programmatic portfolio includes a range of programs or initiatives designed to increase access to care, improve quality, and safeguard the health and well-being of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. http://www.hrsa.gov/

Medicaid/SCHIP Dental Association (MSDA):

The Medicaid/SCHIP Dental Association's mission is to contribute to the optimal oral health of Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) beneficiaries by developing, promoting, and promulgating evidence- and best-practices-based state and national Medicaid/SCHIP oral health policies and practices. http://www.medicaiddental.org/

National Maternal and Child Health Oral Health Resource Center:

The purpose of the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) is to respond to the needs of states and communities in addressing current and emerging public oral health issues. OHRC supports health professionals, program administrators, educators, policymakers, and others with the goal of improving oral health services for infants, children, adolescents, and their families. OHRC collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies; national and state organizations and associations; and foundations to gather, develop, and share quality and valued information and materials. http://www.mchoralhealth.org/

National Network for Oral Health Access:

NNOHA is a nationwide network of dental providers who care for patients in Migrant, Homeless, and Community Health Centers. They provide a website, newsletter and annual conference. http://www.nnoha.org/

National Association of School Nurses:

The National Association of School Nurses supports the health and educational success of children and youth by developing and providing leadership to advance school nursing practice by specialized registered nurses. http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx

Oral Health America:

OHA was founded in 1955 as the "American Fund for Dental Health" by members of the American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, the American Dental Trade Association, and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company to raise funds for the improvement of dental education. In 1994, Oral Health America broke away from its founding institutions to follow a path of broad-based public advocacy through targeted programs and communications efforts to improve oral health for all Americans. Oral Health America is a fully-independent non-profit public benefit corporation, based in Chicago, Illinois, supported through contributions from individuals. http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/

Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures:

OSAP is dedicated to promoting infection control and safety policies and practices supported by science and research to the global dental community. OSAP is committed to identifying, developing and supporting leaders in dental infection prevention and patient safety. This includes educators, trainers, consultants, company representatives and all who share OSAP's vision of safe dental care for people everywhere. http://www.osap.org

Pew Children’s Dental Campaign:

The Pew Children’s Dental Campaign is working to ensure that more children receive dental care and benefit from policies proven to prevent tooth decay. They are mounting a national campaign to raise awareness of the problem, recruit influential leaders to call for change, and showcase states that have made progress and can serve as models for pragmatic, cost-effective reform. Their advocacy efforts are targeted at states where policy changes can dramatically improve children’s lives. http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=42360

Special Care Dentistry:

Special Care Dentistry (SCD) has a wide ranging membership that includes: dentists, dental hygienists; dental assistants; non-dental health care providers; health program administrators; and others. SCD had its origin in a federation of three long standing independent organizations: the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for Persons with Disabilities and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry. These founding organizations remain as components of SCD. http://www.scdonline.org/