The Fiscal Year 2026 3rd Quarter Advocacy Dashboard offers a quick and thorough catch-up on AAO political and regulatory actions on behalf of orthodontists and orthodontic patients from December 2025 – February 2026. The dashboard highlights a busy and impactful third quarter across grassroots engagement, federal and state advocacy, and AAOPAC efforts.

A key highlight is continued grassroots momentum, with 1,173 grassroots actions taken by member advocates on AAO priorities in the United States and Canada. (Thank you, grassroots advocates!)

The Advocacy team engaged in legislative, regulatory and other initiatives in 11 states and Ontario during Q3. The dashboard provides brief status updates including a win in Nevada and important progress milestones reached elsewhere.

Q3 Dashboard Highlights

  • NAN continues to grow. The National Advocacy Network (NAN) also expanded its reach, including AAOPAC Captains and grassroots volunteers working to strengthen advocacy efforts heading into 2026.
  • Advocacy leadership and engagement remain highly visible. AAO Advocacy leaders remained highly visible this quarter — participating in national meetings, connecting with orthodontic residents, and delivering updates to component and stakeholder groups. These efforts included engagement with Members of Congress and collaboration with coalition partners to advance key priorities.
  • AAOPAC closes 2025 strong. AAOPAC celebrated a successful year-end, raising $454,942.60 from 839 contributors, with participation from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. These contributions continue to fuel AAO Advocacy’s ability to build relationships on Capitol Hill and advance orthodontic priorities across the United States.
  • Federal advocacy works to protect patients and the profession. AAO and coalition partners advanced several important federal initiatives this quarter, including:
    • Advocacy to preserve adult dental coverage and strengthen transparency in insurance markets
    • Support for evidence-based public health policies, including community water fluoridation
    • Engagement with federal agencies on student loan changes that could impact access to specialty training
    • Support for the Improving Dental Administration Act of 2026 and continued coalition work on the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA)

Progress Across Key Issues
Advocacy efforts at the state and provincial level remain active on teledentistry, workforce, insurance reform, and specialty advertising. Notable developments this quarter include:

  • Continued progress on teledentistry legislation and regulations, including strengthened patient safety protections in multiple states
  • Ongoing efforts to protect and improve specialty advertising laws
  • Advocacy on workforce solutions, including expanded roles for dental assistants in certain jurisdictions
  • Monitoring and engagement on emerging issues such as artificial intelligence in dentistry

Read the full Advocacy FY26 Q3 Dashboard for more details and ways to get involved.

Visit AAOPAC.org to make a 2026 contribution now and help fuel AAO Advocacy success!