Our Mission: To improve the access to, and productivity of, the oral healthcare system by identifying, nurturing, and leveraging promising projects.

Vision: Our vision is to be the premier foundation in oral healthcare, by attracting and supporting innovative initiatives that directly improve access to care for millions of North Americans annually.

History: The national crisis in access to oral healthcare was first exposed in 2000 when Dr. David Satcher, the former Surgeon General, issued his report on oral health in America. Many in the dental community were shocked to learn that the number of children and adults lacking dental insurance is twice the number of those without medical insurance. The report identified profound disparities in access and effectively issued a challenge to the dental community. And our community responded.

Before the year was out, the predecessor organization to the Dental Trade Alliance had convened a membership roundtable to focus on key issues related to the disparity in oral care. It also created a membership organization, the Oral Care Access Committee, to pursue research and other initiatives designed to remove obstacles to oral care access. In 2002, this committee teamed with the Santa Fe Group, a nonprofit public health advocacy organization, by providing strategic direction and seed money (courtesy of our Founding Donors) to start the Oral Care Access Scholars Program. This program supported ten research and service-oriented projects, dealing with such issues as dental office productivity, acceptance of new technologies, and culturally sensitive public education regarding oral care.

Soon after the Dental Trade Alliance was formed by the unification of the American Dental Trade Association and the Dental Manufacturers of America, the DTA Foundation was created to build upon these programs and seek new and innovative initiatives pursuant to the expansion of oral care access. Since 2006, the DTA Foundation’s strategy has been to collaborate with four key industry organizations: the American Dental Association, the American Dental Hygienists Association, the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

2009 DTAF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman
Carolyn Van Eck
GC America Inc.

Vice Chairman
Ron Saslow
Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Past Chairman
Charles Cohen
Benco Dental Company

Treasurer
Wayne Aho
A-dec, Inc.

Secretary/Chief Executive Officer
Gary W. Price
Dental Trade Alliance

Executive Director
Kevin Thomas
3M ESPE

DTA Foundation Directors
Tom Gallop SS White Burs, Inc. Paul Hinsch Henry Schein Dental Anne Eiting Klamar, MD Midmark Corporation Steven R. Knight Crown Seating, LLC Michael J. Lynam Porter Instrument Division Alex Miller Meisinger USA Dave Misiak Patterson Dental	Scott Parrish A-dec, Inc. Robert Savage Drake Precision Dental Laboratory Paul Seid Sultan Healthcare, Inc. Gary Steinberg Crosstex International Henk van Duijnhoven Danaher Corporation Vickie Waitsman DentalEZ Group

Additional Information
For more information, please send an email to info@dtafoundation.org or contact Denise Bundy at 703-379-7755.