American Dental Association (ADA), association of American dentists formed in 1859 in Niagara Falls, New York, and headquartered in Chicago. Its mission is promoting good dental health. Governance of the organization is provided through the House of Delegates, which is managed by the Board of Trustees. Councils representing subfields of dentistry make recommendations on policy.

Education and research are key elements of the mission of the American Dental Association (ADA), which offers accreditation training for dental laboratory technicians, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. As early as 1929, one-third of the ADA budget was designated for research purposes. In 1964 a charitable organization, the ADA Health Foundation, was founded to fund grants for research, education, and access to dental care, and in 2003 the ADA consolidated its various charitable arms into the ADA Foundation. Findings on current research and clinical information are published in the peer-reviewed JADA: The Journal of the American Dental Association.

The ADA has long promoted good oral health among American children. In 1934, for instance, the ADA joined the U.S. Public Health Service in providing dental examinations to 1.5 million children in 26 states. During the following decade, National Children’s Dental Health Week was instituted. The ADA endorsed the fluoridation of water in 1950.