AFI announces new gold standard for professional-grade dental products

AFI Certified to launch in fall 2025

The ADA and the ADA Forsyth Institute have announced the ADA Forsyth Professional Dental Products Certified Program, a new gold standard for professional-grade dental products. 

Known as AFI Certified, the program is designed to provide dental professionals with evidence-based data to help ensure products meet ADA-approved standards for patient care. 

“The AFI Certified program aims to serve as a tool to help dental offices and clinicians make informed decisions about product selection based on well-established scientific or clinical testing protocols according to ADA standards,” according to the program’s webpage. 

Categories and requirements for approval by AFI Certified are currently in development and will be announced at a later date. The initial program launch will have a limited number of product categories, with each one featuring a unique set of testing requirements. AFI will oversee the program and product evaluation, and the ADA will support the business administration of the program. The applicant company, which is required to submit a fee along with the submission, will provide documentation specified by the certification data and product samples. 

Ben Wu, D.D.S., Ph.D., chief scientific officer and chief operating officer of AFI, said the accelerating pace of technological advancements is anticipated to bring a surge of new dental products, some lacking thorough testing and validation. 

“We are excited to be able to offer our scientific expertise and testing capabilities to support our profession,” Dr. Wu said. “Dental professionals and reputable manufacturers welcome the AFI Certification program, which will provide essential, objective testing data based on open, transparent international standards.”

The certification process is expected to take between six to 10 weeks, unless clinical testing is required. Professional-grade products approved by AFI Certified will be labeled with the ADA Forsyth Certified mark. 

The ADA Forsyth Institute is a research institute funded by the National Institutes of Health that is focused on exploring the connections between oral health and overall health. Announced in October 2023, AFI is an integration of the ADA and the Forsyth Institute, bringing together talent, research opportunities and innovation prospects, dedicated to advancing health through scientific research, technology innovation and public health initiatives.

AFI Certified is slated to officially launch in fall 2025. 

For more information about the program, visit the ADA’s AFI Certified webpage.