Strategic Plan

Board takeaway

AAPD’s plan connects safe, evidence-based care in a dental home with:

• Provider competence.
• Access.
• A sustainable workforce.
• Advocacy.
• Effective operations.

Professional education, payment barriers, community programs, and clinician well-being all affect children’s oral health.

Vision, mission, and culture

• Vision: Every child should have the best achievable oral health.
• Mission: Advance that goal through excellent service responsive to members, partners, and stakeholders.
• Culture: Mentor and support members; prioritize children, patient safety, evidence-based care, and ethical conduct.
• Members contribute as clinicians, specialists, educators, and community leaders. AAPD serves as a national advocate focused on children's oral health.

Clinical expertise

• Equip members and other providers with knowledge, skills, competencies, and data for high-quality care in a dental home.
• Provide continuing clinical education responsive to patients' and caregivers' changing needs.
• Apply professional expertise to safety, improved outcomes, and appropriate regulatory oversight.
• Support predoctoral and postdoctoral training, advise accreditation bodies, and promote career development.
• Support the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry's certification, continued credential maintenance, and lifelong learning to sustain clinical and ethical standards.

Patient care and access

• Address caregiver oral health literacy, affordability, and payment/reimbursement burdens.
• Invest in community initiatives serving children with limited access to care.
• Support research defining national dental needs and informing clinical practices.
• Seek legislative changes that simplify reimbursement administration; promote programs serving children in need.

Workforce and practice transformation

• Expand the workforce's reach and help practices across settings function effectively for patients and communities.
• Study provider distribution and characteristics to inform practice decisions.
• Supply practical care resources and education in nonclinical practice management.
• Support career sustainability through work-life balance, leadership development for practice and AAPD service, and student-debt management programs.

Advocacy

• Educate dental professionals, policymakers at all levels, and parents about children's oral health issues using a solutions-oriented approach.
• Influence public policy directly and train members for practice and community advocacy.
• Communicate through public service messaging, trained media spokespersons, parent blogs, and other opportunities.
• Facilitate legislative information sharing among members and collaboration with health and children's organizations.

Operations

• Meet or exceed professional association management standards.
• Build efficient governance representing varied experiences and viewpoints, with expert networks able to respond to emerging issues.
• Give volunteer leaders administrative assistance and strategic advice.
• Coordinate public relations and marketing; recruit and develop talent; provide financial analysis and direction.

Practical navigation and documentation

• For an access problem, identify the relevant organizational response: improve caregiver understanding, reduce affordability and reimbursement barriers, strengthen community services, or expand the workforce’s reach.
• For an individual treatment decision, use the applicable clinical guideline or best practice.
• The strategic plan sets priorities, not procedure-specific indications.

Common board traps

Answer aloud

How does AAPD's strategic plan support patient safety?

It supports competent providers delivering ethical, evidence-based care in a dental home.

• Continuing education responds to changing patient/caregiver needs.
• Training, appropriate regulatory oversight, certification, and lifelong learning sustain competence.
• These are organizational priorities, not procedure-specific safety thresholds.

What access barriers and responses does AAPD's strategic plan identify?

Address literacy, affordability, reimbursement burden, and community access together.

• Caregiver understanding: improve oral health literacy.
• Payment: advocate simpler reimbursement administration.
• Underserved children: support community initiatives and programs serving those in need.
• Capacity: study dental needs and workforce distribution; support sustainable practices.