The American Student Dental Association supports clinical training within a hospital setting of an adequate duration or minimum percentage of total clinical training. Rotations of one week or greater should be encouraged, including training in hospital protocol and techniques of physical diagnosis related to the dental treatment of medically compromised patients.

The American Student Dental Association supports such involvement in the hospital setting as part of the dental education curriculum.

The American Student Dental Association encourages all U.S. CODA-accredited dental schools to provide education on managed care dental insurance plans. This will help students make informed decisions about contractual agreements and preserve the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship.

The American Student Dental Association supports opportunities for interprofessional education and collaboration with other healthcare professions to improve the understanding of oral and systemic health. 

The American Student Dental Association encourages the development of hospital, community health, specialty and other externship experiences for dental students, and the formalization and awarding of credit for such experiences in each school's curriculum.

The American Student Dental Association supports successful completion of Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) by students in accordance with the standards and guidelines of the American Heart Association, prior to patient treatment and maintenance of successful completion of BLS Certification.

It is the position of the American Student Dental Association that dental students should recognize their legal and ethical responsibilities regarding the early detection and reporting of the following: child, spousal or elder abuse, domestic abuse, intimate partner violence or human trafficking. ASDA strongly supports the incorporation of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and human trafficking recognition courses in the existing curriculum.

The American Student Dental Association encourages all U.S. CODA-accredited dental schools to adopt extramural clinical rotations in underserved areas as part of their curriculum.

For students, U.S. dental schools and predental programs that participate in a dental outreach program (e.g., international service trips, domestic service trips, volunteerism in underserved areas, etc.) it is strongly encouraged:

1. To adhere to the ASDA Code of Ethics and the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct;
2. To be directly supervised by dentists licensed to practice in the United States or by faculty at a U.S. CODA-accredited dental school;
3. To perform only procedures for which the volunteer has received proper education and training;
4. To work with administrations to determine if comparable clinical experiences may be applicable towards their school’s graduation requirements.

The American Student Dental Association supports the utilization of informed written consent and all appropriate safety measures by schools that employ student-to-student clinical experiences including but not limited to local anesthetic injections and placement of sealants. ASDA encourages schools to provide alternative learning opportunities for students who do not wish to participate.

The American Student Dental Association encourages all U.S. CODA-accredited dental schools to provide instruction on effective dental assistant utilization, including ergonomics training.

The American Student Dental Association supports efforts to improve oral health literacy and encourages incorporating the term “oral health literacy” into CODA accreditation standards, particularly in the standards related to prevention and public health.

ASDA encourages a multi-disciplinary approach to student education about oral health literacy and usage of communication techniques that are appropriate based on patient level of oral health literacy.

The American Student Dental Association supports the concept of Evidence-Based Dentistry as defined by the American Dental Association.

ASDA supports incorporation of Evidence-Based Dentistry by dental schools.

The American Student Dental Association encourages all dental schools to provide education on evidence-based prescribing as outlined in the CODA-accreditation Standards. 

ASDA urges dental schools to provide resources for dental students to appropriately address opioids with their patients. 

ASDA encourages the American Dental Education Association to create resources that establish evidence-based prescribing practices for dental school clinics.

The American Student Dental Association supports the Comprehensive ADA Policy Statement on Teledentistry.

ASDA encourages dental schools to incorporate teledentistry into their respective didactic curricula and to utilize teledentistry in clinical settings when appropriate.

The American Student Dental Association encourages dental school administrations to develop and promote resources for dental students experiencing intimate partner violence. If you experienced intimate partner violence while attending dental school, ASDA encourages you to report it to your administration through the appropriate channels.