"THE MISSION OF HARBOR DENTAL SOCIETY IS TO PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN DENTISTRY, SERVE ITS MEMBERS AND ASSIST THE DENTAL COMMUNITY IN ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PUBLIC" The Harbor Dental Society, which was founded on October 6, 1915 by a small study club of ten dentists in the city of Long Beach, has grown to include over 700 dentists in 28 cities in the Los Angeles Harbor area. The Harbor Dental Society is comprised of local dentists who are members of the American Dental Association (ADA) and the California Dental Association (CDA). From the beginning, Harbor Dental Society has had a strong commitment to improve the dental health of the communities it serves. Helping to ensure the dental health of all children, the society was a major force in establishing the Children's Dental Health Clinic in 1931, and which is now located near the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach. In the 1950s, the society spearheaded a twenty-year fight for fluoridation in the Long Beach water system, thus ensuring better dental health for children. The Society promotes the public's health through commitment of member dentists to provide quality oral health care that is accessible to everyone. The Society also promotes the profession of dentistry by enhancing the integrity and ethics of the profession, strengthening the patient/dentist relationship, and making membership the foundation of successful practice. The Harbor Dental Society fulfills its public and professional mission by providing services and through its initiatives in education, research, advocacy, and the development of standards. What started as a small study group of dentists has grown to a strong representation of the dental profession in the South Bay-area of Los Angeles. The Harbor Dental Society actively promotes the improvement of public dental health and maintains the highest standards of ethics among our members.