Abstract
The American College of Dentists’ new Standards for Leadership in Oral Healthcare mark the first attempt in dentistry to articulate standards specifically for leadership, complementing the broader orientation offered by the Ethics Handbook for Dentistry. This article explores the basic question, “What is a standard?” Close reading of the document indicates at least three distinct but related senses of the term: an expectation, a norm, and a guiding principle. The article offers an interpretation of how these three senses fit together coherently. Referencing the Handbook, the article argues that the leadership standards are most impactful only when habituated, when practiced until they are no longer an expectation but a disposition of character. The article traces how the standards, when properly internalized, answer the question, “What kind of leader ought I to be?” The ACD Standards for Leadership in Oral Healthcare’s most important contribution is not compliance but character. Sustained across the dental profession, the standards can ensure dentistry is a profession built on trust.
Recommended Citation
Haden, N. Karl PhD, FACD
(2026)
"What Is a Standard? Perspectives on ACD’s Standards for Leadership in Oral Healthcare,"
Journal of the American College of Dentists: Vol. 92:
No.
4, Article 4.
Available at:
https://commons.ada.org/jacd/vol92/iss4/4