National Dental Association (NDA)

The National Dental Association (NDA) had its earliest beginnings in 1900, when approximately 200 practitioners felt they needed a professional organization. In November of that year, a small group met and formed the Washington Society of colored Dentists in the District of Columbia. The name was changed in 1907 to the Robert T. Freeman Dental Society, in honor of the first Black dental college graduate. Although the seeds were sown in 1900 for a professional organization, it was Dr. D. A. Ferguson of Richmond, Virginia, who began propagating the urgency of a national organization Black dentists. After convincing many other professional colleagues of this need, the National Association of Colored Dentists was formed on May 1, 1901, at Howard University College of Dentistry. This new organization met annually for five years, but eventually failed to sustain enough interested to continue meeting.

Mission:
The National Dental Association promotes oral health equity among people of color by harnessing the collective power of its members, advocating for the needs of and mentoring dental students of color, and raising the profile of the profession in their communities. NDA Goals:
• Improve the delivery of oral health care in underserved communities; and
• Improve the educational opportunities of minorities underrepresented in the oral health field.