Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)

Mission: ASTDD provides strategic and meaningful support to those who lead, empower, promote, and advance State and Territorial Oral Health Programs (S/TOHPs).

Vision: Strong, effective, and inclusive governmental oral health systems in every state, territory, and community that ensure integrated, optimal oral health for all through evidence-informed policies and practices.

Organized in 1948, ASTDD is an affiliate of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and is dedicated to maintaining a robust governmental oral health presence across every state, territory, and community. Through partnerships, leadership, technical assistance, resources, learning networks, and conferences, ASTDD equips members with the tools needed to shape meaningful oral health policy, design and implement prevention-focused programs, and elevate oral health in broader public health systems.

ASTDD strengthens the oral health workforce and advances the field by developing evidence-informed, data-driven resources, convening networks and conferences, and fostering collaboration. In this way, ASTDD serves as the national backbone for governmental oral health infrastructure by connecting members and partners, supporting peer learning, and fostering collaboration across public health, dental public health, and health care systems.

ASTDD advances its mission by engaging members, strengthening capacity, aligning systems, and advancing collective impact. In practice, this includes:

• Delivering targeted technical assistance and capacity-building to S/TOHPs.
• Convening national, state, territorial, and cross-sector partners to align oral health strategy.
• Developing evidence-informed tools, policy guidance, and data resources.
• Strengthening leadership pipelines and workforce development.

State and Territorial Oral Health Programs (S/TOHPs) are governmental public health programs, offices, units, or functions within U.S. state and territorial health agencies that are responsible for assessing, promoting, protecting, and improving the oral health of the populations they serve. S/TOHPs provide leadership for population-based oral health efforts and may conduct or coordinate activities such as surveillance and assessment, policy development, prevention and health promotion, access-to-care initiatives, workforce development, partnerships, program implementation and evaluation, and integration of oral health across public health systems. They often convene, facilitate, and provide the leadership necessary to collaborate with partners, stakeholders, community members, advocates, and champions to assess, promote, and advance oral health throughout their jurisdiction.