AAE Advocacy Year in Review: Driving Progress, Protecting the Specialty, and Shaping the Future
AAE’s advocacy efforts in 2025 demonstrated the power of strategic planning, strong partnerships, and member engagement. Throughout the year, AAE advanced impactful initiatives that protected the specialty, strengthened practice sustainability, reinforced public health, and elevated the voice of endodontists in state and national policy conversations. Our progress reflects the combined strength of dedicated members, thoughtful leadership, and a clear vision for the future of endodontics.
Defending Specialty Recognition
Protecting the integrity of accredited specialty training remained one of the most urgent advocacy efforts. When the Ohio State Dental Board considered weakening the definition of endodontists, AAE acted swiftly in collaboration with the Ohio Association of Endodontists, ADA, and other partners. Through coordinated letters, testimony, and member mobilization, AAE helped prevent the proposal from moving forward, preserving both patient safety and the clarity of specialist qualifications.
Supporting Student Loan Reform and Workforce Sustainability
AAE remained committed to supporting the next generation of endodontists by advancing policies that reduce financial barriers to specialty training. AAE strongly advocated for the REDI Act, which would pause student loan interest during residency, easing the financial burden on future specialists. AAE also worked closely with the Organized Dentistry Coalition to protect Graduate PLUS Loans, maintain Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and oppose restrictive caps on federal education financing. These efforts reinforce the importance of accessible, equitable pathways into the specialty.
Advancing Dental Benefits Reform
Reforming dental plan systems continued to be a major focus in 2025, as AAE worked to ensure greater transparency, fairness, and accountability in dental plan structures. A key part of this effort included strengthening the Transparency in Dental Benefits Contracting Model Act to promote clearer and more equitable contracting standards for specialists. AAE also continued its advocacy around Dental Loss Ratio (DLR) policies, supporting efforts in multiple states to require insurers to spend a minimum percentage of premiums on actual patient care. This position reinforces AAE’s commitment to ensuring that dental benefit dollars go directly to treatment—not administrative overhead. In addition to advocating for stronger DLR protections, AAE addressed administrative challenges such as virtual credit card transaction fees, unclear payment protocols, and burdensome billing processes. By pursuing these reforms, AAE sought to reduce unnecessary obstacles that complicate practice operations and to help endodontists focus on delivering high-quality patient care rather than navigating opaque insurance systems.
Mobilizing Grassroots Advocacy
AAE’s grassroots advocacy efforts reached new levels of engagement in 2025, demonstrating the remarkable influence that unified, coordinated member action can have on key policy outcomes. When proposals emerged that posed significant risks to practice sustainability and patient access—most notably the threat to eliminate the Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) deduction—AAE members responded with unprecedented mobilization. Endodontists across the country advocated through coordinated email campaigns, personalized outreach to lawmakers, and rapid engagement with AAE’s Action Center. This collective response represented the largest grassroots advocacy effort in AAE’s history and played a decisive role in persuading Congress to preserve the PTET deduction.
Protecting Public Health and Promoting Awareness
AAE’s commitment to public health remained a driving force throughout 2025, with the association taking a proactive and science-centered stance on issues that directly affect community wellness, patient safety, and long-term oral health outcomes. As multiple states introduced proposals to restrict or eliminate community water fluoridation, one of the most proven, cost-effective public health measures of the past century—AAE responded decisively by submitting formal opposition, collaborating with public health partners, and educating policymakers about the extensive body of evidence supporting fluoridation’s safety and effectiveness. AAE also endorsed the bipartisan TEETH Act, reinforcing that any changes to federal fluoridation regulations must undergo rigorous scientific review and uphold safeguards that protect decades of public health progress. Beyond these policy battles, AAE significantly expanded public awareness of the value of endodontic care by securing 19 gubernatorial, legislative, and mayoral proclamations recognizing Save Your Tooth Month, elevating conversations about natural tooth preservation and the critical role of endodontists in maintaining oral health. In parallel, AAE strengthened the specialty’s visibility on the national stage through active participation in key policy forums, including the American Association of Dental Consultants Meeting, where AAE representatives engaged directly with dental plan leaders and benefit administrators to advocate for fair coverage, equitable reimbursement, and recognition of the specialty’s expertise. Combined, these efforts demonstrated AAE’s unwavering dedication to protecting evidence-based public health measures while simultaneously raising the profile of endodontic care across the country, ensuring that both policymakers and the public understand the essential contributions endodontists make to overall health and patient-centered dentistry.
Looking Ahead
As AAE reflects on the achievements of 2025, it is clear that the progress made this year lays a strong foundation for the work that lies ahead, positioning the association to navigate an increasingly complex policy landscape with confidence, clarity, and momentum. The challenges facing the specialty—ranging from evolving dental benefit structures and emerging public health threats to ongoing attempts to dilute specialty recognition and redefine scopes of practice—will require continued vigilance, strategic coordination, and rapid mobilization. AAE enters 2026 prepared to meet these demands, supported by engaged members, committed leadership, and a strengthened advocacy framework that has proven capable of driving meaningful change at both the state and national levels. The association’s focus will remain on championing fair dental benefits, protecting evidence-based public health measures, advancing workforce sustainability, and defending the integrity of accredited specialty training, all while expanding its grassroots capacity and deepening partnerships across organized dentistry and the broader healthcare community. With renewed energy, a clear policy agenda, and the demonstrated power of unified action, AAE looks forward to entering the 2026 legislative session strong, focused, and ready to build on the significant progress achieved together in 2025.