ADHA is committed to leading the transformation of the dental hygiene profession to improve the public’s oral and overall health. ADHA advocacy efforts are focused on advancing the profession of dental hygiene at the state and federal level.
ADHA advocates that dental hygienists be permitted by state laws to practice to the fullest extent of their education and can be fully utilized in all settings. At the national level, ADHA strives to better position the profession to be an integrated part of the health care system through strategic partnerships and leveraging opportunities for dental hygienists.
Consulting on Legislative and Regulatory Projects
ADHA collaborates with members and their state lobbyists on drafting legislation, writing testimony and fact sheets, and developing a legislative plan. We share information on events and decisions in other states, as well as successful tools and techniques, and also connect leaders from various states with each other to address common issues and to raise our collective impact.
Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is a term for an occupation controlling its own education, licensure, and practice. Some states have dental hygiene advisory committees or varying degrees of self regulation for dental hygienists.
Standard Occupational Classification
The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) is a classification system used by federal statistical agencies. Learn about the role ADHA played in updating the SOC for dental hygienists in the 2018 release.