The history of dental standards in the U.S. dates back to World War I, when the military needed to buy large quantities of dental materials to address the “woeful state of soldiers’ teeth.”
In 1917, the surgeon general of the U.S. Army tasked the National Bureau of Standards with spearheading research on dental amalgam — research that would eventually lead to the development of the first American Dental Association standard in 1926 as well as dental materials that were stronger, longer lasting and more durable than in the past.
One hundred years and hundreds of national standards later, the ADA Standards Program continues to contribute behind the scenes to the safe and reliable practice of dentistry and the advancement of the dental profession.