---
title: "What Is ADA? Dental Practice Glossary | Copeland Consulting Services"
description: "The short form of American Dental Association, the national professional association of U.S."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/ada
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Organized dentistry

# ADA

The short form of American Dental Association, the national professional association of U.S. dentists, not to be confused with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

ADA is the short form of American Dental Association. The association states that its mission is to help dentists succeed and support the advancement of the health of the public.

It works through a tripartite structure that links the national group with state and local societies. Dentists often hold membership at all three levels. The ADA's governing body is the [House of Delegates](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/house-of-delegates).

The letters ADA are also used for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a different law. Context shows which meaning applies. For the full name and a longer description see [American Dental Association](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/american-dental-association). This entry is a general definition of the short form only.

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## Related terms

-   [American Dental Association](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/american-dental-association)
-   [House of Delegates](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/house-of-delegates)
-   [Organized dentistry](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/organized-dentistry)
-   [Americans with Disabilities Act](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/americans-with-disabilities-act)

## Sources

1.  [ADA, About the ADA](https://www.ada.org/about)
2.  [ADA, National, state and local dental societies](https://www.ada.org/about/volunteer-and-get-involved-with-the-ada/national-state-local-dental-societies)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)