ADA Launches Oral Health Certificate for Community Health Workers

Posted: September 18, 2026

ADA Launches Oral Health Certificate for Community Health Workers

Edited by Hygienetown staff

The ADA has launched an online certification program that trains community health workers to educate the people they serve about oral health and to connect them with dental care.

The ADA Oral Health Ambassador Certificate for Community Health Workers covers dental terminology and common procedures, patient communication and education strategies, and the relationship between oral health and chronic conditions including diabetes. It also addresses common misconceptions, among them the recommended timing of a child’s first dental visit.

The course emphasizes oral health considerations and barriers to care for underserved populations. It is available to community health workers and is not intended for dentists or dental team members.

The program grew out of work with the New Jersey Department of Health, the first time the ADA has collaborated with a state health department in this way. The department approached the association for help creating an oral health certification program, and ADA staff met with department officials to set the scope and format before helping design it. The training launched May 6 with a live webinar presented by ADA staff.

The New Jersey course runs through the department’s Colette Lamothe-Galette Community Health Worker Institute, which offers certification programs on specialized health care topics but previously had none covering oral health.

Becky Parnian, the New Jersey state dental hygienist, said community health workers “play a vital role in connecting individuals and families with the resources” and care they need. She said the training equips them to promote oral health and advance health equity across the state.

The ADA is inviting other state health departments interested in similar state-specific programs to contact the association.

Sources:
ADA News, “ADA launches oral health certification for community health workers,” Sept. 15, 2026:
adanews.ada.org/2026/september/oral-health-certification-community-health-workers




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