A retrospective of America's second National Dental Association.

This article describes one hundred and fifty years of history concerning organized dentistry among African Americans. African Americans were welcomed in the National Negro Medical Association of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists (NMA) as early as 1895 and later created a dental professional group, the Interstate Dental Association, in the mid-Atlantic states. The "second" National Dental Association, a national-wide African American association was created in 1932. African Americans earned full membership in the American Dental Association in 1964. This article traces these developments against the background of changing American society and concludes by mentioning some of the recent accomplishments and collaborative relationships of the current NDA.