Recognition Standards, Procedures and Application
for Recognition
Purpose of ADA CERP
The ADA CERP was created to assist dental professionals in identifying and participating in quality continuing dental education. It is also a goal of the ADA CERP to promote continuous quality improvement of continuing dental education and to assist dental regulatory agencies to establish a sound basis for increasing their uniform acceptance of CE credits earned by dentists to meet the CE relicensure requirements currently mandated by the majority of licensing jurisdictions.
The ADA CERP evaluates and approves organizations that provide continuing dental education. It does not approve the specific courses and educational activities offered by those organizations, nor does it approve the credit hours that recognized providers offer. In addition, ADA CERP does not recognize sole providers or individual instructors.
Specific objectives of the recognition program are:
- To improve the educational quality of continuing dental education programs through self-evaluation conducted by the CE program provider in relation to the ADA CERP standards and criteria for recognition, and/or through counsel and recommendations to CE providers from the ADA CERP Committee.
- To assure participants that recognized continuing education program providers have the organizational structure and resources necessary to provide CE activities of acceptable educational quality, i.e., activities that should assist the participant in providing an enhanced level of care to patients.
- To promote uniform standards for continuing dental education that can be accepted nationally by the dental profession.
- To assist regulatory agencies and/or other organizations responsible for granting credit in identifying those continuing dental education providers whose activities are acceptable for credit toward licensure or membership requirements or voluntary recognition programs.
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ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures
ADA CERP represents a mechanism for reviewing continuing education providers and recognizing those that demonstrate that they routinely meet certain basic standards of educational quality. ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures (PDF)  are the basis for evaluating the processes used by CE providers to design, plan, and implement continuing education programs.
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Eligibility Requirements
The ADA CERP approves providers as defined in the Lexicon of Terms in ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures (PDF) . The ADA CERP recognizes providers of continuing education (CE), not individual courses. The ADA CERP does not recognize individual instructors or authors. Providers of continuing dental education must meet the following eligibility criterea to be considered for ADA CERP recognition.
- The CE provider offers a planned program of continuing dental education activities consistent with the definition of continuing dental education in the ADA CERP Lexicon of Terms. A planned program of continuing dental education activities must consist of more than a single course offered multiple times. A single course offered multiple times may not exceed 50 percent of the total number of courses offered per year. The CE provider’s administrative authority must not function as a sole lecturer/author.
- A CE provider must ensure that all courses offered have a sound scientific basis in order to adequately protect the public. ADA CERP reserves the right to require that the applicant provide documentation that courses offered by the provider have a sound scientific basis under circumstances including but not limited to: emerging technology and procedures, proven efficacy, and public safety.
- The CE provider must demonstrate that it assumes the financial and administrative responsibility of planning, publicizing and offering the continuing education program consistent with the definition of provider in the ADA CERP Lexicon of Terms.
- Institutions, organizations or major units or departments within an institution/organization (e.g., an oral and maxillofacial surgery department of a medical center) are eligible to apply for recognition. Recognition extends only to the CE provider; recognition does not extend to individual courses, programs or lecturers.
- A CE provider must demonstrate that it is targeting its activities to a great extent to dentists by providing dental-oriented topics and course content. It is the intent of the ADA CERP to recognize those providers that are primarily addressing the CE needs of dentists.
Although ADA CERP may not directly benefit some smaller groups, such as local CE study clubs, such groups are encouraged to explore possible affiliation agreements with their local or state dental societies.
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Overview of Application and Recognition Process
Applications for recognition are reviewed by the ADA CERP Committee twice a year in the spring and the fall. Deadlines for submitting applications are in January and July according to the published schedule. Applicants receive a Decision Report informing them of the recognition decision approximately 5-½ months after submitting an application.
Recognized providers are awarded terms of recognition of two, three or four years, based on the level of compliance demonstrated and the complaint history of the provider. Terms of recognition are effective the first day of May or November.
Applicants that are approved, but that have offered continuing education activities for less than twelve months, are required to submit a progress report in one year.
If the ADA CERP Committee determines that more information is required to make a decision regarding recognition status, or the provider only minimally meets the standards and criteria, action to determine recognition status may be postponed definitely pending submission of additional information or a new application, or, recognition may be granted, contingent upon submission of a progress report within six months to one year.
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Information for New Applicants
Organizations that wish to apply for ADA CERP recognition should:
- Download the current edition of the ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures (PDF) .
- Review the ADA CERP eligibility requirements to determine if the organization is eligible to apply.
- Download the current ADA CERP Standard Application for Recognition (MS Word) or request a copy from staff.
- Review the application and instructions carefully to determine whether all required documentation is available to demonstrate compliance with the 15 areas outlined in the ADA CERP Recognition Standards. Applications will be evaluated based on documented compliance with the eligibility requirements and Recognition Standards & Procedures.
- Notify ADA CERP staff of the provider’s intent to apply for ADA CERP recognition. Staff will supply current application materials, including pre-printed tabs required to organize the application.
- Complete all sections of the application form and assemble samples of the required documentation.
- Submit three typed, tabbed, and bound copies of the completed ADA CERP Application for Recognition and all required documentation by the specified deadline. Applications that are not typed or that are submitted on obsolete forms cannot be accepted.
- An application fee of $570 is required for new applications.
- Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the ADA CERP Committee, a standing committee of the Council on Dental Education and Licensure, at the Committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting. Providers will be notified of the recognition decision according to the published schedule.
CE providers that are not eligible for ADA CERP recognition, or that may not be able to demonstrate compliance with the Standards, may wish to consider partnering with an ADA CERP recognized provider to offer CE credits for specific activities through joint sponsorship.
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Information for Applicants for Continued Recognition
ADA CERP recognized providers that wish to be considered for another term of recognition must submit an application for continued recognition by the established deadline prior to the expiration date of the provider’s current term of recognition.
Recognized providers will receive instructions and application materials for continued recognition approximately 12 months before the end of their current term of recognition. Providers will have approximately 6 months to prepare the application before the submission deadline. An application fee of $470 is required for applications for continued recognition.
Providers that are no longer eligible or that no longer wish to maintain ADA CERP recognition should notify ADA CERP in writing of their intention to voluntarily withdraw from the program.
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Abbreviated Application for Continued Recognition
Beginning in June 2007, ADA CERP recognized providers that received a term of recognition of 3 or 4 years at the time of their last comprehensive review will be eligible to complete an Abbreviated Application for Continued Recognition. The Abbreviated Application contains fewer questions than the Standard Application.
Providers completing the Abbreviated Application in one review cycle must complete the Standard Application at the time of their next review. If the provider receives a 3- or 4-year term of recognition after submitting the Standard Application, they will once again be eligible to complete an Abbreviated Application.
Providers eligible to complete the Abbreviated Application will be notified by ADA CERP.
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Standard Application for Continued Recognition
Providers that submitted an Abbreviated Application at the time of their last review, or received a 2-year term of recognition, must complete the Standard Application for Recognition. Providers will receive application materials for continued recognition approximately 12 months prior to the end of the current recognition term. Providers may also download the current ADA CERP Standard Application for Recognition (MS Word) .
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Deadlines for Submitting Applications for Recognition and Continued Recognition
Applications for recognition and continued recognition are accepted and reviewed by the ADA CERP Committee twice a year. Important dates for the 2009 review cycles are listed in the table below.
| Activity |
Spring 2009 Review Cycle |
Fall 2009 Review Cycle |
| Application deadline |
January 11, 2009 |
July 10, 2009 |
| ADA CERP Committee meeting |
March 5-6, 2009 |
October 15-16, 2009 |
| Decision reports sent to applicants |
April 2009 |
November 2009 |
| New recognition term begins |
May 2009 |
November 2009 |
ADA CERP Fees
Effective January 1, 2009
| Fee type |
2009 |
| Application for recognition—new |
$570 |
| Application for continued recognition |
$470 |
| Annual fee |
$300 |
| Extension fee |
$220 |
| Reconsideration/appeal fee |
$570 |
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