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Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
  Introduction   Accreditation Status Definitions
  Membership Information   Guidelines, Policies, and Procedures
  Accreditation News   Outcomes Assessment
  How Accreditation Works   Staff List and Contact Information

Accreditation News

The purpose of Accreditation News is to keep members and communities of interest abreast of actions taken during CODA meetings throughout the year. Always come to this section to find information on new, revised and proposed changes to various accreditation standards, information on open hearings, upcoming site visits and other CODA activities. The Accreditation News has permanently replaced the Communications Update, which is no longer published. You can still review archived issues of the Communications Update.

Open Hearing: 2008 ADA Annual Session

The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) will conduct Open Hearings Thursday, October 16 and Saturday, October 18 at the ADA Annual Session in San Antonio, Texas. The Open Hearing on Thursday will be held from 11:00am-Noon in the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, Conference Room 1-2 (actual room is subject to change). The Open Hearing on Saturday will be held from 8:30am-9:30am in the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, Grand H Room (actual room subject to change).

The purpose of the Open Hearing is to provide the Commission’s communities of interest with an opportunity to comment on proposed revisions to accreditation standards for dental, allied dental, and advanced dental education programs.

Please bring a copy of the documents with you to the Open Hearing. A limited number of copies will be available on-site. If you plan to comment, we encourage you to bring a written copy of your comment to the Open Hearing to provide to Commission representatives.

If you are unable to attend the Open Hearing, you may submit written comment to the Commission until the comments due date indicated below. Comments should be submitted to: Director, Commission on Dental Accreditation, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 or faxed to 312-440-2915. Please contact 312-440-4653 for further assistance.

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Consideration of Proposed Revisions to Accreditation Standards

Comments due: May 1, 2009

  • Predoctoral Dental Education Programs (Appendix 2) | PDF file/588k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.
  • Advanced General Dentistry Education Programs in Orofacial Pain (Appendix 5) | PDF file/120k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.

Comments due: July 1, 2009

Comments due: December 1, 2008

  • Clinical Fellowship Training Programs in Craniofacial and Special Care Orthodontics (Appendix 6) | PDF file/140k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.
  • Proposed Changes to Language Common to all Recognized Specialties (ENDO, DPH, OMP, OMR, OMS, ORTHO, PED DENT, PERIO, PROS): Standards 1, 4 and 5 (Appendix 7)
    | PDF file/199k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.

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Revised Standards Effective July 1, 2009: Accreditation Standards for Dental Laboratory Technology Education Programs

Changes were made throughout the Standards to update terminology and to provide greater clarification and organization within the document. Specific Standard revisions include changes in the areas of Instruction and Specialty Content and in program administrator and faculty qualifications.

  • Accreditation Standards for Dental Laboratory Technology Education Programs | PDF file/153k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.

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Revised Standards Effective January 1, 2009: Accreditation Standards for Dental Assisting Education Programs

Revisions to the Accreditation Standards for Dental Assisting Education Programs were approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) at their February 1, 2008 meeting with an implementation date of January 1, 2009. For more information please contact Commission staff at 800-621-8099 ext. 2705.

Revisions within the Dental Assisting Standards include clinical practice hours (Standard 2-22); program administrator qualifications (Standard 3-5); faculty education requirements (Standard 3-7); Certified Dental Assistant certification requirements for dentists (Standard 3-9); and emergency management preparation requirements (5-4).

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Revised Standards Effective January 1, 2009: Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education Programs

Revisions to the Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education were approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) at their July 26, 2007 meeting. The Accreditation Standards will be implemented January 1, 2009. For more information contact Commission staff at 800-621-8099, extension 2695.

Please note that changes were made throughout the Standards to provide clarification and organization of the material. Specifically changes occurred in the following areas: definitions of standard of care for dental hygiene and dental hygiene diagnosis; program director qualifications and responsibilities; faculty to student ratios; and qualifications of faculty teaching didactic courses.

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Unofficial Report of Major Actions

Download CODA's report on actions:

  • July 2008 Unofficial Report of Major Actions | PDF file/24k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.
  • February 2008 Unofficial Report of Major Actions | PDF file/30k Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.

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Meeting Dates through July 2009

Download the meeting schedule to view upcoming meeting dates:

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New Policy: Electronic Submission of Accreditation Materials

Effective on January 1, 2008, all accreditation materials sent to the Commission must be done so electronically.

The Policy on Electronic Submission of Accreditation Materials states that programs will provide the Commission with an electronic version of all accreditation documents/reports and related materials. These documents may include but are not limited to self-study guides, responses to site visit/progress reports, initial accreditation applications, reports of major change, transfer of sponsorship and exhibits. The Commission will provide programs with electronic submission guidelines including accepted formats. Accreditation documents/reports and related materials must be complete and comprehensive. The Commission will assess a fee of $500 per discipline self-study document and $250 per general correspondence/report (major change, increase in enrollment, transfer of sponsorship, progress report, response to site visit report, for example) to the program for converting the document to an electronic version.

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Upcoming Site Visits

The Commission’s 2008 site visit schedules for allied, advanced and dental education programs can be downloaded in PDF format below. The United States Department of Education (USDE) procedures require accrediting agencies to provide an opportunity for third-party comment, with respect to institutions or programs scheduled for review. All comments must relate to accreditation standards for the discipline and/or accreditation policies.

Comments should be submitted to: Third Party Comments, Commission on Dental Accreditation, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL., 60611; or faxed to 312-440-2915. View the entire policy on Third Party Comments in the Evaluation Policies & Procedures manual.

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